Madness: the NCAA Sweet Sixteen decided by Walk Score!

 

If the NCAA men's Division 1 basketball championship were decided on walkability, the Marquette Golden Eagles would be our winner, edging out in-state rival Wisconsin-Madison 95-91 in the final.

In the spirit of continuing what is becoming a tradition (see the versions I did for 2011 and 2010), I took the 16 teams remaining in the tournament and obtained Walk Scores for the arenas where they play their home games.  And I played out the matchups, as you see above.  The game of the tournament would be an epic national semifinal between the Kentucky Wildcats and Marquette, won by the Golden Eagles by one point, 95-94.  In my imagination, I like to think the game went to overtime, and Kentucky had a one-point lead with 2.1 seconds left.  Marquette ball.  Jae Crowder throws a full-court bullet pass to Darius Johnson-Odom, waiting at the top of the key.  DJO dribbles once, turns, and swishes a jumper for the win as time expires.

Anyway, Marquette wins because the Bradley Center, where they play, is a downtown arena with a "walker's paradise" Walk Score score of 95.  Wisconsin's and Kentucky's arenas are also located in "walker's paradises."  NC State and Baylor, not so much.  Here's the complete breakdown, in alphabetic order:

Baylor Bears - Ferrell Center, Waco, TX

 

 

Cincinnati Bearcats - Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati

 

 

Florida Gators - O'Connell Center, Gainesville

 

 

Indiana Hoosiers - Assembly Hall, Bloomington

 

 

Kansas Jayhawks - Phogg Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence

 

 

Kentucky Wildcats - Rupp Arena, Lexington

 

 

Louisville Cardinals - KFC Yum! Center

 

 

Marquette Golden Eagles - Bradley Center, Milwaukee

 

 

Michigan State Spartans - Breslin Center, East Lansing

 

 

North Carolina Tar Heels - Dean E. Smith Center ("the DeanDome"), Chapel Hill

 

 

North Carolina State Wolfpack - PNC Arena

 

 

Ohio University Bobcats - Convocation Center, Athens

 

 

Ohio State Buckeyes - Value City Arena

 

 

Syracuse University Orange - Carrier Dome

 

 

Wisconsin Badgers - Kohl Center, Madison

 

 

Xavier Musketeers - Cintas Center, Cincinnati

 

 

Note that some of the Walk Scores include transit information.  My understanding is that depends on available data.

Walk Score summary:

"Walker's Paradise":  Marquette, Kentucky, Wisconsin

"Very Walkable":  Cincinnati, Syracuse, Louisville, Ohio University

"Somewhat Walkable":  Xavier, Michigan State, Florida, Ohio State, UNC, Kansas

"Car-dependent":  Indiana, NC State, Baylor

Worst named arenas:  KFC Yum! Center; Fifth Third Arena; "Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center."

Best named:  Phogg Allen Fieldhouse; Assembly Hall.

Move your cursor over the images for credit information.