Dean Smith Center (University of North Carolina)

This is my HEAVEN!!!

even in a close game the atmosphere was extremely dull

Great place to watch bball.It would really suck not to be a Tarheel fan

It's only disliked by people whose teams have had their asses handed to them threw the many,many successful years of Carolina basketball.If other programs had succeded like UNC, maybe they're alumni would contribute the money to build such a fine arena.I've watch games from the lower and upper level seats so I give it 5 stars cause there's not a bad seat in the Dean Dome.However,I do wish they'd give the first 10 rows surrounding the court to the students,then it would be THE most difficult place to play.Hats off to Dooks Camoren Indoor for their "6th" man the Crazies(ASSHOLES)

Great arena. Way much better than Cameron Indoor Stadium. Unlike Cameron Indoor Stadium, Dean Smith Center looks like a real college hoops stadium and has a larger fanbase. I mean even the RAC has more seats and a much better arena than Duke has, despite Rutgers College hoops history doesn't even touches and not even camparable to Dukes.

i am a huge duke fan and i respect the national champs but i got a chance to go inside of the smith centerand watch my brother play ball there at camp here is why i give it a 2.........number one is it is cold! number two i agree the seats are like theater seats..... but comfy number three there is to much carolina blue and number 4 the scoreboards ane all at the corners of the arena ......why not envest in a normal one?.....ps.... all the jerseys in the smith center arent retired only the first row

A few years ago a friend of mine (UNC grad) brought me up from Atlanta to see a UNC v UVa game. Because of the way he talked about it on the drive up, i was almost prepared to come face-to-face with christ himself. when we got there my first issue with the arena - parking. you know, most stadiums put their parking within 3 miles of the stadium itself. Then it came into sight, and it is so ugly fromt the outside i swore that it was designed by Stalin himself. The inside with all the blue looks neat, probably more of one color than anywhere else, until you go to your seat. the seating is more like a movie theatre than an arena. Those ledgendary jerseys in the rafters are horrible looking, as if they pulled em right off the player and hung em up there after a game. And what posses you to put the students (and videoboards) way up in the corners, where they can't be heared and can't see the action? People with front row seats need to stand, not sit during the game. So in summary- i... Read more

Quite simply the best physical space on the planet to witness NCAA b-ball. Pay no attention to those who focus on such things as 'atmosphere' in a lame attempt to lambaste what is truly the Taj Mahal of college basketball arenas. I don't rate places I've never been, and I always endeavor to remain objective -- disallowing personal loyalties to influence my assessment of architectural spaces. That said, the DeanDome is a veritable palace, and is absolutely unrivaled in the sport. Tradition as great as all outdoors bears down on all who visit Chapel Hill. There are those who swear that the Smith Center is the only place beneath the sky where one can actually experience Heaven on earth. And it's blue -- in fact virtually gleaming with so much of the pale hue that it resembles a faceted ice berg. Indeed, that might be the best way to describe it -- for it's also big, bold and beautiful in that special way that allows one to realize he's on the campus--in the very heart even--of ... Read more

Here is how bad ass the Carolina program is. As big as the Dome is, they are still running out of space for banners and honored jerseys. Now there is two more:: Sean, and the new championship banner. Maybe Ray, but I'm not sure if he made any first or second team all American teams. I think it's amusing how some schools like State make their banners and honored jerseys massive to fill up space. Man, each piece in the RBC Center's rafters are the size of a hot air balloon. Anyway, I love the Dome. One definitely gets a sense of greatness, past and present when they walk in there. And I always get a jolt of pride when I see an opposing player gawking upward to the rafters. It is also cool to think of Tarheel freshman playing their first game there, and what must be going through their heads. To me, that would be cooler than your first game with the Lakers, Bulls, Celtics, or anything else. Like hearing the crowd going nuts, seeing MJ's jersey and realizing you're wearing the same uniform... Read more

As a Tar Heel, I can't help but give it 5 stars...sorry. But I won't bore you with what I think is great about it. Instead, I will tell you what I DON'T like. First of all, the outside is achingly plain - a characteristic Coach Smith insisted on. Secondly, the place is so huge and tall (it is a dome, you know) that sitting in the upper levels can feel like going rock-climbing. It does get loud, however, despite the wine and cheese crowd. Lastly, the scoreboards (in each corner) look like displays at Circuit City - 6 big screen TVs combined to make one large display. Still, there is nothing like a game in the Smith Center for a Tar Heel fan, and I hope they continue to pack the Dome for decades to come.

should have kept Carmicheal...too much C. Blue on court

There is nothing like walkin into the dean dome! for diehard tarheel fans... seein all the blue and all those jerseys is the greatest thing you could ever witness... i have a picture of the court with the players warmin up on my mirror and every mornin i look it and just smile ~ it is the best place to be in the world ~ nuthin else compares

When I see halfcourt at the Dome, I get goose bumps. Looking at the rafters, I get bigger goose bumps. Nicest, most expensive (by far) locker rooms. MJ, Nomar, Mia, etc in the crowd. Perfect, easy parking arrangements. State of the art workout areas. Accused of being quiet at times, but I credit that to real basketball people watching and focusing on the action, rather than putting on a Broadway Show. No cheer sheets for us! We don't need to rehearse to know how to watch, cheer and understand at a basketball game. Some of it is due to it's size as well. It has more of an NBA feel and vibe, rather than a high school size and and vibe. Know what I mean? It's the kind of noise you might find at a good NBA team's game. Sit back, relax, cheer when it's called for, and enjoy the win. I love the Dome. Not to mention the way it's snuggled so beautifully there among the pines. IN THE PINES - IN THE PINES. Oh, I love it!

Big, almost too spacious. None the less the history is great when you look up and see all the Tar Heel Greats' jerseys hanging over the court.

Nice facility. If you are near the students, they are allowed out in the asiles to block your view. They have a good system for those who have full handicaps or are just out of shape/minor handicaps to get you out of parking lot and into the facility.

no place like it

I LOVE DUKE, LOVE THE ACC AND RESPECT THE HELL OUT OF N. CAROLINA BUT YOU SHOULD HAVE KEPT CARMICHAEL!

simply one of the best

While the Dean Smith Center (ie the Dean Dome) provided much needed capacity for basketball games at North Carolina, these new arenas lack the personality of their predecessors. (Carmichael Auditorium has so much history and the home court advantage was enormous.) With that said, the facilities are topnotch, the Carolina blue seating is distinctive, and the jerseys in the rafters bring some of the history into the newer building. A longstanding problem has been with seating the alumni in the premium seats at the expense of the students when it is the latter who generate most of the energy and advantages of playing at home. Fortunately, the school has been making efforts to remedy this problem in recent years.

its pretty

Immense, intimidating environment when the crowd really gets worked up. Doesn't have the tradition of some facilities (opened in 1986, supplanting the older, smaller Carmichael Auditorium), but has played host to some brilliant basketball and tremendous Carolina wins. One of college basketball's crown jewels, and easily the class of the ACC.

The best college basketball arena, you just have to go in, look up and see all the jerseys in the rafters including MJ's, Worthy's, Rasheed's, Stackhouse's, Jamison's, McAdoo's, Cota's, Daugherty's, Vince's, Perkins', Forte's, Haywood's, Cunningham's and many more!

There are two Dean Smith Centers: One is flat, the other more classier with a dome and much larger. I hope all games are played in the dome because this deserves the 4 star rating. The other one is just terrible when you see them side by side.

Carolina Sucks.

too much powder blue

This is definetly the greatest College basketball arena. Once you walk into the arena a burst of pride hits you that is un-discribable. The tradition, the fans, and not to mention the sea of Carolina blue every where you look. This is a great arena

Rupp has to be one of the most beautiful and spacious arenas in NCAA basketball. BUT, this spaciousness detracts the overall crowd noise and makes Rupp not as intimidating to play in. Rupp has a lavish court and some of the best fans in college basketball. But sometimes it seems the fans are a little "too quiet" sometimes. For an arena that size it just doesn't seem to get as loud as some others I have been to. (i.e. Bud Walton Arena, the Pit in New Mexico, and Oklahoma State's Gallagher-Iba Arena). But once again I give praises to the fans, tradition, and lavish surroundings of Rupp. It is a deserving 4 star arena.