Fansided

15 best home-court advantages in college basketball

By Mike Phillips

EAST LANSING, MI - MARCH 09: Matt McQuaid #20 of the Michigan State Spartans kisses the logo after defeating the Michigan Wolverines 75-63 at Breslin Center on March 9, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - MARCH 09: Matt McQuaid #20 of the Michigan State Spartans kisses the logo after defeating the Michigan Wolverines 75-63 at Breslin Center on March 9, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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CHAPEL HILL, NC – MARCH 09: Kenny Williams #24 of the North Carolina Tar Heels is recognized on senior night during a game against the Duke Blue Devils on March 09, 2019 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 70-79. (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC – MARCH 09: Kenny Williams #24 of the North Carolina Tar Heels is recognized on senior night during a game against the Duke Blue Devils on March 09, 2019 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 70-79. (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images) /

12. North Carolina

  • Venue: Dean Smith Center
  • Location: Chapel Hill, NC
  • Opened: 1/18/86
  • Capacity: 21,750
  • Home Record Since 2000: 273-56 (.829 Winning Percentage)

A common theme that will emerge from this list is that elite programs tend to have really good winning percentages at home. It shouldn’t qualify as a shock that North Carolina has made the list, and they have always been a tough team to play at the Dean Smith Center.

The building first opened in 1986 and was named in honor of the great Dean Smith, who actually coached the last 11 and a half years of his career there. That makes Smith one of the few coaches in NCAA history to coach in an arena named after himself.

North Carolina has done a lot of winning at the Dean Dome, and they have won well over 82% of their games at home since the turn of the century. While the building may not be as intimidating as some other venues in the ACC, no visiting team wants to go to North Carolina and take down the Tar Heels on their own floor.

Part of the reason the Dean Smith Center is this low on the rankings is that it took a while for the school to allocate more premium seating for its students. Since North Carolina has shifted in that direction, the Smith Center has become more intimidating for opposing players.