Palestra (University of Pennsylvania)

Simple. Just a basketball arena. No sky boxes, no suites, no lasers, no fluff. If Penn's ever done with the place it's the only arena in the country that should be taken down and reconstructed brick-by-brick and board-by-board at the Hall Of Fame as a monument to what college basketball is/was and should be.

Ahh, The Palestra. The one and only true Mecca of College hoops...the cathedral of the game. Simply the best college basketball arena ever. The loudness, the history, the atmosphere, the intimacy--it is simply unexplainable. And to truly top it, the best name for an arena--it's just The Palestra! No corporate branding, no stupidly long names, no stadiums named after a mere donor, no 'memorial coliseum' crap, just a genuine, short name with real history.

The Palestra is great! Granted I'm biased because I saw Temple Owls totally OWN Penn here ;)

Need to see a game there

Why am I even rating this venue? I can't think of anything about it that stands out.

LOUD. I went to double-header at the palestra with my dad when i was just a tike, but I remember it because of the sheer volume. this hallowed place has been the setting for some great rivalry games -- philadelphia and otherwise.

Classical joint of long standing.

The best venue for college basketball anywhere in the United States. The Palestra is the Mecca of college basketball arena's

This is a classic old time gym. It has history as well as atmosphere. For a lcose the action, loud, great atmosphere game make sure you don't miss a big 5 game (or a penn princeton game) here!

The Palestra is one of the great College Basketball arenas in the country. It doesnt get enough credit as such because there are a number of other great venues. Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium gets a lot of pub because Duke has been so great, but the Palestra has got it beat. It's just the right size for a college arena, it has hosted some fantastic games, you're close to the action without being too far away and for a big game the place rocks ! If this were the homecourt of higher profile BBall schools Temple or Villanova, the Palestra would be better recognized as one of the great places for BBall. It's just as well. Real basketball fans that have been there know how wonderful this place is.

It's simply the high cathedral of college basketball. Words can't describe the feeling you get walking into this relic of Americana.

Simply put, there is no better place in the world to watch basketball.

When you walk inside you can feel history, no joke. I was there during the summer and the place was quiet. I walked in the arena and you knew that place was special.

Been to Cameron Indoor, Allen FH, Cole FH, MSG - they're all great but five schools shared this court - and still do. NOTHING BEATS IT

An absolute shrine...there's no place that has the pure college bball atmosphere like The Palestra. It's the Fenway Park of college hoops!!

With the history of the arena and Philadelphia basketball in cases around the concourse along with the hysteria inside, the Palestra is the best place in America to watch college (or any) basketball.

Mecca

Easily the finest place in the country to watch hoops -- you can see the game from any seat in the house (what obstructed view magellan?). No nosebleed seats and a curved roof that bends the crowd noise around in a fantastic reverb. Philly fans know their hoops, whether its Big Five match or just a home game for the Quakers. To the extent it matters, I root for Princeton -- but Penn's home court kicks a$$.

Ruby! A 2!!!!! A TWO?!?!? I can't bash you b/c your other ratings are very well-versed. The Palestra is a shrine to collge basketball. It is not a phony-slick-new facility (Check out the brick exterior) Real benches (not seats) Real fans (UPENN students and the community) and REAL history. Athletes that actually go to class and can play ball- F@#% the Carolinas, Michigan, UCLA, et. al. Anyone with 2 neurons in their head will tell you this is clearly one of the top 10 college basketball arenas in the nation. And when, oh when will the rest of the world lay off Philly fans? This is a place where ALL atheles know they better produce or else. Other cities kiss celeb ass and we don't. And to quote the Northwestern football chant: "It's alright, It's okay, They're gonna work for US someday!" If you're a hoops fan, you MUST see this place!

I grew up hearing legends about the Palestra -- the noise, the rude Philly fans, the feeling that the fix was in and your team doomed. When I finally got chances to root against the Penn Quakers, I found out it was all true. I guess that's cool in some respects, but I really genuinely hate that place. Sorry Philly, gotta give you a 2.

If Philadelphia is a center of college basketball, then the Palestra is a shrine to the game. This ancient, ugly building with obstructed views is what college ball is all about. Home to many a Big Five showdown (Villanova, Temple, St. Joe's, La Salle, Penn), this is the loudest university venue that I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. I remember taking train to Palestra as a teenager to settle in for triple headers featuring the Big Five teams plus Drexel. When the first basket would go down, play would be stopped because of the torrents of streamers that would people would throw onto the court. While this tradition has been banned, the tradition of college hoops is alive and well at the Palestra.