What are best — and worst — California cities for college basketball? See list
It’s the most exciting time of the year for college basketball fans: March Madness.
Fortunately, California is home to the No. 1 city in the nation for college ball, according to WalletHub.
The personal finance company recently went in search of the best — and worst — cities for college basketball fans in 2026, based on team win records, stadium capacity and other factors.
“The best cities for college basketball have high-performing teams, affordable and accessible games and strong fan engagement,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in a March 4 article.
How did your city fare? Here’s what to know:
What makes Los Angeles the No. 1 for college basketball?
Los Angeles took first on WalletHub’s 2026 list of the top spots for college basketball lovers in the United States.
The City of Angels has four different NCAA Division 1 teams, including the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans. California State University, Northridge, and Loyola Marymount University also call the Los Angeles area home.
“These teams stand out even in a city that’s already known for its professional-level basketball,” WalletHub managing editor John S. Kiernan wrote in the article.
Los Angeles has the largest number of NCAA championship wins since 1938, with 11 total, WalletHub said, as well as the most Hall of Fame coaches, at four.
As of Friday, March 27, he Bruins men’s basketball team had an overall record of 24-12 in the Big Ten Conference, with a conference record of 13-7.
The Bruins men were eliminated in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, losing to UConn Huskies 73-57 on March 22.
In contrast, the UCLA women’s basketball team was ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten, with an overall record of 33-1 and a conference record of 18-0.
On Friday, the Bruins women were scheduled to battle the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Sweet 16.
WalletHub also ranked college basketball towns by size, with Los Angeles claiming the No. 1 spot in the large city category.
Durham, North Carolina, was named the top midsize city, and Lawrence, Kansas, was the best small city, according to WalletHub.
How did other California cities rank?
Los Angeles was the only California city to find a spot in the top 20, according to WalletHub.
California cities that landed lower on the list included Long Beach at No. 54, San Diego at No. 74 and San Francisco at No. 80.
Stanford was No. 88 and Santa Clara was No. 96.
What are worst California spots for college basketball fans?
A number of California cities ranked toward the bottom of WalletHub’s list, including San Luis Obispo at No. 267, Fresno at No. 286 and Berkeley at No. 295.
In fact, Sacramento ranked only one spot above dead last.
It came in at No. 296 out of 297 cities.
In terms of men’s basketball, the Sacramento State Hornets had an overall record of 10-21 in the Big Sky Conference, compared to the Fresno State Bulldogs’ overall 13-19 record in the Mountain West Conference.
In San Luis Obispo, the Cal Poly Mustangs men’s basketball team had an overall 14-19 record in the Big West Conference.
The women’s basketball teams at Sacrament State and Fresno State shared an overall record of 15-18, while Cal Poly’s women’s basketball team had an overall record of 4-26.
What are top 10 cities for college basketball in the US?
According to WalletHub, these were the top 10 cities for college basketball in 2026:
- Los Angeles
- Durham, North Carolina
- Lexington, Kentucky
- Philadelphia
- Lawrence, Kansas
- East Lansing, Michigan
- Storrs, Connecticut
- Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- New York City
- Boston
How did WalletHub come up with its list?
WalletHub compared a total of 297 U.S. cities with at least one Division 1 basketball team across nine metrics:
- Number of Division 1 basketball teams
- Performance level of college basketball teams
- Number of basketball championship wins
- Number of conference regular season wins
- Number of Hall of Fame head coaches
- Season ticket prices
- Social media engagement
- Number of coaches in past 10 seasons
- College basketball stadium capacity
Data came from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, ESPN and NCAA.org.
This story was originally published March 27, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
