Study Ranks LA Above Storrs, Connecticut for College Basketball Fans — Seriously?

According to a new study from WalletHub, the best city in America for college basketball fans is… Los Angeles.

Yeah, OK. Sure.

WalletHub says it analyzed more than 290 cities across the country using nine different metrics to determine the top spots for NCAA hoops. Things like the number of Division I teams in a city, winning percentages, arena sizes, and social media engagement were all part of the formula.

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Their final rankings put Los Angeles at number one. Behind them were places like Durham, North Carolina, Lexington, Kentucky, and Philadelphia. Storrs, Connecticut — the home of UConn basketball — came in at number seven.

And that’s where I have to step in and say this list might need a little reality check.

Look, nobody is denying UCLA is a historic program. Eleven national championships is incredible and they’ve had some legendary coaches and players over the years. That part is not up for debate.

But saying Los Angeles is a better college basketball city than Storrs, Connecticut? Come on.

Los Angeles is a pro sports town. The Lakers, the Dodgers, the Rams — that’s where the real attention goes. And even then, let’s be honest, LA fans have a reputation for showing up when the team is good and disappearing when things aren’t going so well. Cool, celebrities sit courtside at Lakers games when they’re winning. Great. Whatever, homie.

College basketball doesn’t dominate the conversation in LA the way it does in places that truly live and breathe the sport.

In Storrs, Connecticut, UConn basketball is practically a year-round religion. When the men’s or women’s teams are playing, the entire state is paying attention. The passion isn’t just inside Gampel Pavilion either — it’s everywhere from sports bars to living rooms across Connecticut.

And if you want proof that some places take college hoops way more seriously than Los Angeles, go spend some time on Tobacco Road.

I’ve been to both Chapel Hill and Durham, and trust me, those towns revolve around college basketball. The rivalry between North Carolina and Duke is a way of life down there. It’s not something people casually follow when the team is ranked — it’s something they care about every single day.

So while WalletHub can run all the numbers it wants, sometimes the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Los Angeles might have more teams and a lot of history thanks to UCLA, but if we’re talking about pure college basketball obsession?

Storrs — and most of Connecticut — belongs way higher on that list.

Grow up, WalletHub.

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