Laramie Ranks On List of Best Cities for College Basketball Fans

It is that time of year for the 'Big Dance'. March Madness is here as the college basketball national tournament tips off next Friday (March 19th) and every college town is getting hyped regardless of whether their team makes the tournament. So which of these college towns or cities are the best for college basketball fans?

After having missed a year of the NCAA Tournament because, well, you know, 2020,  there seems to be an even greater anticipation for this year's set of tournament games. And recently WalletHub did some research to find out what cities across the nation are the best for college basketball fans. Their research had college towns and cities from all around the U.S., which of course included Laramie since it's the home of the Wyoming Cowboys. But just where does Laramie fall when ranked with these other college basketball cities and towns?

Of the 291 college towns and cities on the list, it turns out that Laramie finished with an overall ranking of 127th. Before you think that might be a bad ranking on the list, first know that that's just three spots behind Lubbock, TX, which is the home of the Texas Tech Red Raiders, who were the 2019 national championship runner-up, and also have a very solid team that will be in the tournament this year.

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Not only that, but that 127th ranking is three spots ahead of Waco, TX, where Baylor University is located. In case you've been too busy binge watching Bridgerton or whatever show you're into right now instead of what's been happening this season in college basketball, then you should know that Baylor is likely snagging a #1 seed in this year's tournament when the pairings are announced this weekend.

The point is, Laramie's 127th ranking on the list of best cities for college basketball is a solid showing, even if the Pokes don't make the tournament this year (hypothetically, they still have an outside shot). Laramie also ranked 75th among small cities on the list. Not too shabby at all. Especially when you consider some of the main determining factors were things like 'teams per city, winning percentage, stadium capacity and social media engagement. Laramie is definitely doing some things right to snag that ranking.

The top three cities for college basketball fans were Durham, NC (go figure), Lexington, KY (eye roll), East Lansing, MI (hi, Tom Izzo), and Lawrence, KS (and you too, Bill Self, hi). You can check out the full rankings by scrolling over the map below. In any event, not a bad showing at all, Laramie! Go Pokes!