Kentucky owns best fanbase in college basketball, says NCAA.com

There is only one fanbase capable of filling every seat in Rupp Arena for a press conference on a random Sunday in April. That fanbase has been named the best in college basketball, according to Andy Katz of NCAA.com.

The national analyst ranked the sport’s top ten fanbases and unsurprisingly put Big Blue Nation ahead of the pack, using Mark Pope’s debut presser as a prime example of the passion in Lexington.

“Three words: Big Blue Nation,” Katz wrote Monday. “Even with long-time coach John Calipari leaving to steer the ship at Arkansas in April, the Wildcats’ fan base showed out at coach Mark Pope’s introductory press conference — nearly selling out Rupp Arena. If the Kentucky faithful can fill Rupp to a brim on a random off-season Sunday with no basketball in sight, imagine what it’s like throughout the season.”

Kentucky was far and away the best fanbase in the SEC with only Arkansas joining the Cats in the top ten — all thanks to Coach Cal’s move to Fayetteville.

“The Razorbacks faithful had Bud Walton Arena jumping even before coach Nolan Richardson’s tenure from 1985 to 2002,” Katz added. “20-plus years later, nothing has changed. And with Calipari now at the helm, the fan base might get even stronger.”

What does the rest of the list look like? It’s loaded with blue bloods, namely the program coming off back-to-back national championships under Dan Hurley, along with a few surprises. Check it out below:

1. Kentucky
2. UConn
3. Kansas
4. Duke
5. Purdue
6. Illinois
7. North Carolina
8. Indiana
9. Arkansas
10. Iowa State

Passion personified 😤

Andy Katz names his top 🔟 fanbases in the country 👀 pic.twitter.com/nxO0jjVGv8

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) August 26, 2024

We’ll get to see Big Blue Nation prove its status as the best fanbase in college basketball when the season gets rolling later this fall.