Cookeville Not Among America’s Great March Madness Cities

As March Madness begins, a new survey of America’s great basketball cities may leave Cookeville residents…mad.

Cookeville ranks 10th worst among America’s Best Cities For College Basketball Fans, according to WalletHub.Com. The website looked at data in nine key metrics to rank the 280 communities. They include number of college basketball teams, the performance level of the teams, the number of championships and regular season championships, the number of hall of fame head coaches, number of coaches in past 10 seasons, minimum ticket price, social media fan engagement, and arena seating capacity.

Cookeville received a score of 11.03. WalletHub’s Best City for College Basketball Fans, Chapel Hill, NC, scored a 61.05.

Lawrence, KS, Los Angeles, CA, Durham, NC and Lexington, KY rounded out the top five in the rankings released Tuesday.

Finishing behind Cookeville: Jacksonville, AL, Fairfax, VA, Jonesboro, AR, Lynchburg, VA, Hackensack, NJ, Pocatello, ID, Clinton, SC, Daytona Beach, FL and New Britain, CT.

Nashville ranked highest among SEC cities behind Lexington. Memphis 19th among large cities. Murfreesboro ranked 22nd among mid-size cities, 39 spots ahead of Knoxville.