BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- It's not a secret to us, but the rest of the nation now knows: Bloomington is one of the best cities for college basketball fans.
The home of the IU Hoosiers at Assembly Hall, Bloomington has a storied tradition of basketball fanfare and passion for the game.
WalletHub's list of the Best Cities for College Basketball Fans in 2018 solidified Bloomington's reputation.
The rankings looked at more than 280 U.S. cities using nine key metrics. The metrics ranged from winning percentage and social media engagement to season ticket cost and seat capacity at home stadiums.
Bloomington was named the Number 8 best city for college basketball fans, beat out only by some pretty elite company. See the top 10 below:
1 Chapel Hill, NC (UNC)
2 Lawrence, KS (University of Kansas)
3 Los Angeles, CA (UCLA, USC)
4 Durham, NC (Duke)
5 Lexington, KY (University of Kentucky)
6 Philadelphia, PA (Villanova, St. Joseph's, Temple, La Salle, Drexel, others)
7 Storrs, CT (University of Connecticut)
8 Bloomington, IN (Indiana University)
9 East Lansing, MI (Michigan State University)
10 College Park, MD (University of Maryland)
South Bend gets a nod for its Notre Dame presence, ending up as the 18th best city for college basketball fans on the list.
West Lafayette also ranked 30th, for its Boilermaker base.
Indianapolis found itself in the middle of the pack, ranked 121st for college basketball fans, but Butler faithful may have something to say about that in the ever-loud Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Read more about the rankings here.
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