March Madness is quickly approaching, and college basketball lovers across the country, especially in New York, are ready to celebrate.
A new WalletHub study placed 14 cities in New York on a list of the best cities for college basketball fans in 2026.
College basketball is generally considered a big deal in the United States, but some cities take it more seriously than others. To determine the best U.S. cities for college basketball fans, WalletHub compared 297 cities across nine metrics, ranging from the number of teams per city and the winning percentage of each, to stadium capacity and social-media engagement.
“March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year for sports fans, with 67 games packed into 21 days. You can enjoy the action from anywhere with a TV or an internet connection, but a good environment enhances the experience,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. “The best cities for college basketball have high-performing teams, affordable and accessible games, and strong fan engagement.”
Here’s what to know.
Which NY cities are ranked the best for college basketball fans?
14 out of the 297 cities listed are in New York, and one of them was ranked among the top ten best.
New York City was ranked as the No. 9 best city for college basketball fans with an overall score of 46.39. The Big Apple came in fourth place when ranked among the largest cities on the list. Considering NYC’s high placement on the list, it was also surprisingly ranked among the cities with the least access to college basketball stadiums, No. 296, and the least engaged fans, No. 293.
Here’s where the other 13 NY cities placed:
What are the top 10 best cities for college basketball fans?
How WalletHub assessed the best cities for college basketball fans
To determine which cities were the best for college basketball fans, WalletHub compared 297 U.S. cities that have at least one Division 1 team across nine metrics:
Data used to create the ranking was collected as of Feb. 4, 2026, and the information was sourced from multiple entities, including the U.S. Census Bureau, ESPN, Sports Reference, NCAA.org, each team’s website and each team’s social media accounts.
— Madison Scott is a journalist with the Democrat and Chronicle who covers breaking and trending news for the Finger Lakes Region. She has an interest in how the system helps or doesn’t help families with missing loved ones. She can be reached at MDScott@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NYC cracks top 10 U.S. cities for college basketball fans
Reporting by Madison Scott, New York Connect Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
