:'Nova @ the Palestra is the "Best Basketball Trip"

I came across this as a UW Story, but the writers over at The Sporting News wrote a quick column ranking the Top 5 places in the US to watch a college basketball game.

#5 HecEd Pavilion (Bank of America Arena) at UW
#4 Duke Home Game
#3 Pac-10 Game at Pauley
#2 Pre-Season Game at MSG
#1 St. Joe's vs. Villanova at the Palestra
Whatever they're charging for a ticket at an online reseller -- if you can afford it, then it's not too much. Think of it as a Rolex. Lots of dime-store wristwatches will give you the correct time -- but none is a Rolex.

There's nothing better in college basketball than Hawks-Cats, because the intensity of the rivalry depends not at all upon the relative merit of the teams. If they're great, the atmosphere will be phenomenal. If they're lousy (not lately) the atmosphere will be phenomenal.

Any Big Five game at the Palestra is going to be a special experience, and most of those games could be attended for less. Any trip to the Palestra means you can get the Philly experience of visiting the Liberty Bell or running up Rocky's original StairMaster. But St. Joe's-Nova is something you will remember for the rest of your basketball-loving life.