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Auburn Arena: ‘The Jungle’ a Top 5 place to play in the country

By Cameron Caldwell

AUBURN, AL - FEBRUARY 14: Auburn Tigers fans get ready before a game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Auburn Arena on February 14, 2018 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
AUBURN, AL - FEBRUARY 14: Auburn Tigers fans get ready before a game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Auburn Arena on February 14, 2018 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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This season, Auburn has been magnificent at home. They have only lost 1 game (by a single point), and most every other game by exciting blowouts. One things has been for sure, the crowd inside Auburn Arena has been absolutely insane.

Part of the reason I absolutely love college basketball is because of the excitement of the fans at their respective home courts. When you think about traditionally great home-court advantages, a few blue bloods come to mind. Kansas (“Phog” Allen), Duke (Cameron Indoor), North Carolina (Dean Dome), Michigan State (The “Izzo Dome”, and Kentucky (Rupp Arena), just to name a few.

These venues are all part of the lore and mystic of what college basketball is all about. You don’t just walk in to one of these arenas and come out with an easy and comfortable win.

One thing is certain though,  there is no dominant team. The top pack of the country can all beat each other and this has created an interesting dynamic in college basketball. It is almost like the buzz from some of these historic places is not all there. Just look at Kansas, where fans are pressuring the students saying that they are nowhere near as loud as the previous alumni have been.

So that leads me to this…

What if I told you that one of the hottest teams in the country plays in the smallest arena in its conference. This arena is not known for being loud, but that is in the past. This team has only lost 1 game this season, and that was because of a player’s heal being 1 millimeter in the charge circle.

This team is Auburn, and the venue is the fairly new, Auburn Arena. Known as ‘The Jungle’, this just-over-9,000 seat palace has been absolutely rocking this year. Teams like Kentucky, Alabama, UCONN, among others, have walked into this building and almost looked shell-shocked.

Peter Burns of SEC Network recently called Auburn the second toughest place to play in the country outside of Duke this season. Multitudes of longtime ticket holders have said this is the most energy in the building ever.

Top 5

I would like to quickly state my top 5 places to play for this 2018 season.

Number one is Duke, and there is nothing like the Cameron Crazies. I also like them because we share the same name.

Number two in my opinion is Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. It has been a rough year for the ‘Cats, but they still show up and intimidate.

Number three is “Phog” Allen Fieldhouse, home of the Kansas Jayhawks. Even though people claim it’s not what it used to be, that place is still rocking.

Number four on the list is Michigan State, the Breslin Center. These guys pack it out in white and are obnoxious.

Number five, it is non other than Auburn Arena. This place has been magical this year, and I, for one, believe that as Bruce Pearl leads this team for the foreseeable future, this home court advantage will only get crazier.

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