RI Named In Top 10 Best Places For College Basketball: WalletHub

KINGSTON, RI — Rhode Island may not be home to any professional sports teams, but that doesn't mean the Ocean State is short on spirit. Little Rhody was named twice in WalletHub's latest ranking of the best cities for college basketball fans, making the top 10.

Kingston, home to the University of Rhode Island, was named tenth in the country in the ranking, which compared the 292 cities across the country with at least one Division One team. Providence, home to Providence College's Friars, came in at number 45.

To determine the ranking, the personal finance website weighed nine metrics, including ticket prices, population size, the number of hall of fame-winning coaches, fan engagement and more.

Durham, North Carolina, home to several D-1 schools, came in at number one, followed by Storrs, Connecticut, home of the UConn Huskies. Here's a look at the rest of the top 10:

1. Durham, North Carolina
2. Storrs, Connecticut
3. Lexington, Kentucky
4. Lawrence, Kansas
5. Los Angeles, California
6. East Lansing, Michigan
7. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
8. Chapel Hill, North Carolina
9. Fayette, Mississippi
10. Kingston, Rhode Island

Billy Hawkins, a professor at the University of Houston, said there are two factors that make for a good college basketball city or town: somewhere that is "steeped in basketball tradition" and mid-size areas without the distractions of a large, professional team.

"Basically, cities where basketball is the only action in town," Hawkins said.

See the full report from WalletHub.