📍 Cincinnati, Ohio
🏀 Home of Xavier Musketeers basketball

It’s been called one of the college basketball’s toughest places to play. With constant record crowds and a dominant home-court advantage unlike many other schools of its size, the Musketeers of Xavier University strike fear into each and every opponent that dares visit the thrilling chambers of the Cintas Center.

The intimate home of Xavier basketball is a major part of the school’s tranquil campus, situated in the quiet Evanston neighborhood of Cincinnati. Although the university mostly features regal castle-like architecture throughout, the Cintas Center stands out as a modern gathering place for Xavier faithful. The arena opened at the turn of the millennium and has seen constant improvement since, with a succession of fantastic upgrades keeping the arena relevant and contemporary.

Xavier University itself is a private Jesuit school, with an enrollment of just over 6,000. Cintas Center could hold the entire student body and then some, with a capacity of more than 10,000. Despite the school’s smaller size, the Musketeers certainly don’t struggle to fill the venue. There’s often a sellout crowd on hand, which provides the team with a extra little edge over whomever their opponent happens to be. Thanks in part due to its constant electric atmosphere, Cintas Center has consistently been ranked as one of the most arduous places to play for visitors to the humble hills of northeast Cincinnati.

As the only Division I program nicknamed the Musketeers, it’s only fitting that the team capitalizes on their unique moniker by tying in their mascot to an extremely relevant piece of literature. Named D’Artagnan, after the protagonist in Alexandre Dumas’ novel The Three Musketeers, a statue of this icon of Xavier’s sports teams stands tall outside the Cintas Center, reminding students and fans alike of the school’s – and the musketeers’ – motto: “All for one, one for all.“

However, D’Artagnan isn’t the only mascot that the Musketeers have. After fearing that the musket-wielding man was too scary for younger fans, Xavier introduced the “Blue Blob” in 1985. This mythical and ambiguous creature is objectively more terrifying than a swashbuckling man with handlebars, even when he’s not using his enormous tongue to taunt fans or swallowing objects – sometimes even people – during Musketeers games.

The atmosphere at Xavier games is nothing short of stellar, thanks in part to students who often camp out the night before to secure the best seats in the rowdy student section. Their excitement and insanity contribute to the deafening crowd that’s typically rocking the Cintas Center. The arena itself, however, is fairly average. Aside from a few neat cases that comprise the Musketeers Hall of Fame, there’s not much else to see at Cintas, leaving it feeling a bit drab both inside and out. Perhaps an additional round of renovations can help modernize and revamp the otherwise lackluster venue.

Nevertheless, Musketeer fans stay true to their team and have created an incredible environment for college basketball. If you’re looking for a thrilling night of hoops to get your blood flowing, a game at Xavier is a bucket list stop.