📍 Fargo, North Dakota
🏀 Home of North Dakota State Bison basketball

Although it maintains a modern complexion, Scheels Center – the home of North Dakota State basketball – has been a part of the Fargo fabric since 1970. The facility was originally known as Bison Sports Arena and replaced old Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse, a smaller gym which now houses the school’s volleyball program. The Bison’s current home, meanwhile, was completely gutted and overhauled in 2016 as part of a larger athletic complex rebuild, reopening under new branding from locally–based sporting goods chain Scheels.

Scheels Center contains seating for just over 5,400, making it the largest college basketball venue in the state. Both the men’s and women’s programs, as well as Bison wrestling, compete at the arena. It features a sleek interior design, with the upper concourse perched above the seating bowl and running around three sides of the court. This allows for unobstructed views of the action while fans are away from their seats, whether that entails using the restroom or grabbing some tasty concessions.

For a mid-major school, NDSU has some upstanding food options at Scheels Center. Some of the highlights include walking tacos at The Taco Shop, sweet treats at Nothing Bundt Cakes, bacon burger mac & cheese at Mac Daddy’s, cinnamon roasted almonds, Philly cheesesteaks and the iconic “Fargo Fillies”, featuring sliced ribeye, bacon bits and a pepper jack cheese sauce. There’s also a lemonade stand that has an abundance of cool flavors, such as guava, blueberry, passion fruit, pomegranate, lavender and kiwi strawberry.

Down on the lower concourse, the main street-level hallways, there’s the Hall of Champions, which is adorned with murals and placards on support columns that list North Dakota State accomplishments and championships broken down by sport. The building is really an ode to all Bison athletics, specifically highlighting the school’s wildly successful football program that plays across the street at the Fargodome.

Although Bison basketball has had far less excitement, the longtime Summit League member has still made four NCAA Tournament appearances at the Division I level. Their most impressive showing came in 2009, when they became the first team in more than 30 years to advance to the Big Dance during their first year of eligibility. The Herd would have also competed in 2020 had it not been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For now, the furthest the Bison have advanced in the tourney is the Round of 32, though the school and their statewide fanbase have high hopes for a potentially deeper run in the future.