There are 351 college basketball teams competing at the Division I level during the 2025-26 season, and many of them play in sizeable arenas that can accommodate a raucous crowd capable of boosting their home-court advantage. However, there are many others that do their thing in a gym that can barely give a local high school a run for its money.
These are the college basketball programs that play in the venues with the smallest capacity
Syracuse firmly boasts the largest arena of any college basketball team in the country thanks to the 35,446 spectators that the JMA Wireless Dome can accommodate; Louisville earns the silver medal with the relatively paltry 22,090 that can fit into the KFC Yum! Center.
There are also some programs that firmly lie on the other end of the spectrum, as there aren’t any gyms in the country that are smaller than these. I’m taking both men’s and women’s teams into consideration here, as there are some schools where the two squads play at different venues.
12. Swisher Gymnasium—Jacksonville
Capacity: 1,360
I’m limiting this list to every team that plays in a gym that can fit fewer than 1,500 fans.
Jacksonville is the first to fall under that threshold, as the Dolphins have been playing exclusively at Swisher Gymnasium since the end of an arrangement where they hosted some teams at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (which can hold 14,091 fans for basketball games) following the 2014-15 season.
11. Walsh Gymnasium—Seton Hall
Capacity: 1,316
The men’s team at Seton Hall plays most of its games at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, although it does host some teams at the building on campus in South Orange where the women’s team plays all of its games.
10. The Jungle—IU Indy
Capacity: 1,215
This is a relatively new addition to this list, as the college basketball team that was formerly known as “IUPUI” formerly played at Corteva Coliseum, the 6,500-person arena located on the site of the Indiana State Fair. However, the Jaguars have been playing their games at a literal Jungle gym on campus since 2024.
9. Merrimack—Hammel Court
Capacity: 1,200
Merrimack is more of a hockey school than a basketball one, as evidenced by the fact that Lawler Rink in North Andover, Massachusetts can host 2,500 fans when the Warriors take the ice while the basketball team plays on a court with less than half of that capacity.
8. Owen McCormick Court—Mercyhurst
Capacity: 1,100
Mercyhurst did some extensive renovations to prepare for its leap to the Division I level in 2024, and while it did add some seating to the court inside its athletic center in Erie, Pennsylvania, it’s still one of the smallest gyms in the country.
7. Meeks Family Fieldhouse—Evansville (Women)
Capacity: 1,087
The men’s team at Evansville plays at the 10,000-capacity Ford Center, but the women who represent the Purple Aces have to settle for the gymnasium located inside the Carson Center.
6. The Nest—Sacramento State
Capacity: 1,012
Sacramento State amassed a massive NIL war chest to prepare for the football team’s transition from FCS to FBS, and the school tapped Mike Bibby and Shaquille O’Neal to help take the basketball program to the next level. There’s a chance The Nest ends up expanding as a result, and it certainly has plenty of room to grow.
T-4. Sharp Gymnasium—Houston Christian
https://youtu.be/95llxtkNWY0
Capacity: 1,000
I couldn’t find any usable photos of the court where Houston Christian plays its home games (which is also the case for the rest of the teams on this list), but it is certainly not the most intimidating environment.
T-4. Jeffery P. Hazell Athletics Center—New Haven
https://youtu.be/co6ioZ0VxKk
Capacity: 1,000
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to learn that schools that play in a gym that can fit exactly 1,000 people aren’t a prime destination for photographers tasked with covering games, so we’ll once again have to settle for a video of some highlights.
3. RedHawk Center—Seattle
https://youtu.be/I0rwXihxvqo
Capacity: 999
I feel like it’s safe to assume Seattle could find a way to get off the list of three college basketball teams that play in a gym that fits fewer than 1,000 people if they really wanted to, as they qualify by the narrowest margin possible.
2. Buccaneer Field House—Charleston Southern
https://youtu.be/sxW3w90MfVo
Capacity: 881
We have two teams that firmly fall under the 1,000-person mark, and Charleston Southern takes second place despite giving the next one a serious run for its money.
1. G. B. Hodge Center—USC Upstate
https://youtu.be/AhbvZ4TfY1Q
Capacity: 878
Last, and literally least, we have USC Upstate, which narrowly has the distinction of playing in the smallest gym of any DI team.
The post The 12 College Basketball Teams That Play In The Tiniest Gyms In The Country appeared first on BroBible.
The 12 College Basketball Teams That Play In The Tiniest Gyms In The Country
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