The Arena Pulse: No. 22-Hinkle Fieldhouse (Butler)

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

It’s never easy to go on the road in college basketball. This is a top 25 breakdown of some of the toughest and most intimidating venues in college basketball.
 
Venue: Hinkle Fieldhouse
 
School Name: Butler
 
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
 
Capacity: 11,043
 
When Hinkle Fieldhouse comes to mind, it is not hard to think of the historic past this venue has to offer. From presidents to movies to college basketball, Hinkle Fieldhouse is one of the nation’s oldest and most well-known arenas.
 
With its construction in 1928, Hinkle Fieldhouse holds the title for the sixth-oldest college basketball venue in the country. It has been the host for former presidents such as Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton, and today it is still home to the Butler Bulldogs.

Along with the university, it was the site for the annual high school basketball state championship, which in its own right has national attention. The commonly known film Hoosiers was filmed inside Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
With three straight NCAA Tournament appearances and only 17 losses in the past three seasons, the support and excitement for Butler basketball has grown. With such a historic past, there is no doubt Hinkle Fieldhouse can bring out the best in fans. 

The student section, more commonly known as the Dawg Pound around the Butler campus, offers the Bulldog team that home court feeling. After just two losses on their home court a year ago—one of which was in the Horizon League Tournament, in which Cleveland State shocked the Bulldogs—a presence of winning surrounds the court each home game.
 
With a young head coach in Brad Stevens and the return of the some of the best players the Horizon League has to offer in Shelvin Mack, Gordon Hayward, and Matt Howard, excitement is definitely building for Butler this year. Hinkle Fieldhouse will host Ohio State and Xavier this upcoming season, as well as a matchup against an opponent to be determined in ESPN's BracketBusters.
 
Hinkle Fieldhouse’s tightly packed seats can fit over 11,000 people, and on any given night that crowd will be ready to go. Butler has proved to be a tough test for anyone on their schedule, but for teams going on the road at Butler, the fact is known—they better be prepared.

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