A site for fans of SIU Athletics.

By Riley Swinford

gosalukis.webs.com

July 5, 2009

1. (tie) Creighton and Wichita State

The Shockers’ home, Charles Koch Arena, reopened in 2003 after extensive renovations and holds 10, 400 people. The Qwest Center in Omaha, home of the Bluejays, also opened for the ’03 season and is the largest in the league with a capacity of over 17,000. However, the Shockers’ home is owned by the school while the Qwest Center is just used by the team. Both facilities have great atmospheres come game day and each provides state of the art amenities for the fans. These two arenas have set the standard across the MVC in many ways and are feared destinations for every team that visits during the season.

2. Missouri State

The Bears have the league’s newest facility – JQH Arena – which opened for last season. With its newness and gorgeous look, one may have expected to see it at the top of this list. However, with a mediocre first season, the Arena never quite reached its potential atmosphere last season. However, the arena is set up for greatness with 11,000 seats, 22 private suits, a team Hall of Fame, a team store, and courtside seats.

3. Illinois State

Redbird Arena is entering its 20th season of operation but it is still one of the top facilities to catch a game at in the league. With over 10,000 seats, it provides fans with a big time atmosphere and as of late, high quality basketball. The Champaign News Gazette called it “The best college basketball arena in Illinois.” The arena has trademark large windows and a big Redbird logo on the center of the floor that adds to the arena’s unique atmosphere.

4. Northern Iowa

The McLeod Center in Cedar Falls is one the league’s newest facilities. It replaced the made-for-football UNI Dome as the home for Panther basketball a few seasons ago and is a much better basketball environment than the spacious Dome. It has just over 7000 seats and is ranked primarily this high for its niceness and new factor. It’s not a feared environment or atmosphere but is much newer than most of its league counterparts.

5. Drake

The home of the Bulldogs, Knapp Center, was completely redone and opened in 2007. The arena has several video boards, state of the art lighting, and 7,000 seats. The Bulldogs have improved the product on the floor recently, and therefore have seen the amount of fans in the stands improve as well. Drake is still establishing themselves as a contender year in and year out but, the fans are starting to buy into what they’re doing and have shown their support.

6. Southern Illinois

SIU Arena in Carbondale has gained legendary status across the MVC and the nation. The Salukis have had multiple 30 game winning streaks over the last decade and at one point held the best home winning percentage in the nation. The rustic-feeling Arena has 10,000 seats and is filled to its max several times a year, especially during key MVC matchups. This is also the only Valley facility to host ESPN College Gameday. The fans sit right on top of the floor and provide an atmosphere that is hard to beat. The actual facility is old and outdated but a renovation is in the works to update the seating, scoreboards, and locker rooms – sure to propel SIU to the top of this list.

7. Bradley

Carver Arena has been home to the Braves for over 25 seasons and it also hosts Illinois’ state basketball tournaments each year. With a capacity in the 11,000s, the Braves rank in tops of the league each year for attendance marks. The facility is nice and suffice, but a big-time atmosphere has never quite been apart of game days in Peoria. Jim Les’ squad has been good enough to draw fans recently, but it still isn’t quite as intimidating as SIU Arena or Qwest Center Omaha.

8. Evansville

Roberts Stadium has been hosting games for over 50 years, but looks much younger thanks to a renovation almost 20 years ago. With 11,600 seats, Roberts is one of league’s larger facilities but the Aces haven’t filled it out all the way recently. Head coach Marty Simmons hopes that an improved product will help UE draw better and improve the atmosphere. There have been talks of a new arena for Evansville, however.

9. Indiana State

The Hulman Center is one of the league’s older facilities and has hosted the Sycamores since the 1972-1973 season. The Sycamores have consistently found themselves towards the bottom of the league’s standings recently and have failed to draw a large crowd often. The Hulman Center is also very spacious, with 10,000 seats and the fans sit far away from the action, making it difficult to build a good atmosphere.