Over a two-week span, were answering the following question for college basketballs 10 best conferences: Which venue in each conference is the toughest place to play? A number of factors, not just capacity and attendance, could affect a venues place in the order. Where does your school fall??In an effort to keep up with the competition and add some juice to the relatively new conference, schools in the American Athletic Conference have been busy sprucing up their various venues. Yet the toughest place to play in the league earned its reputation not merely by revamping the arena, but by renovating the program. Theres a lesson in there somewhere.11. South Florida Bulls: Sun Dome, opened in 1980The dreary building was given a much-needed facelift in 2012 and, paired with the Bulls first NCAA bid in 20 years, it was supposed to signal a turnaround for USFs fortunes. Things didnt go exactly as planned. Instead two years later Stan Heath was fired, and third-year coach Orlando Antigua now has a nice building in sunny Tampa to welcome visiting teams to. But hes still trying to rebuild his team. USF is 12-23 in its past two seasons at home, and the Dome averaged just 29 percent of its capacity last season.Fun fact: Alice Cooper played the first concert in the arena in 1980. He opened with Welcome to My Nightmare.10. East Carolina Pirates: Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum, opened in 1967 Theres potential here, which is why East Carolina pulls in at No. 10 instead of 11. What Williams Arena has going for is its not too big. It seats just 8,000, which puts a low demand on a fan base that hasnt tasted a whole lot of success. And when the Pirate faithful crowd in, it can be difficult for anyone to play there (see the win over Temple last season.)Fun fact:?One of the arenas highlight moments came in 2002, when the Pirates beat both Louisville and then-No. 9 Marquette at home, in their first season as members of what was then Conference USA.9. UCF Knights: CFE Arena, opened in 2007 You get to be near Disney World. Everyones happy at Disney World. How tough can visiting UCF be? Mix in the fact that the Knights, and their student section Knightmare, havent been terribly intimidating: They ranked 112th in attendance last season. And youve got a big, fairly innocuous looking building that could be just about anywhere in the country. Not much to fear.Fun fact: In 2008, Lupe Fiasco played a concert inside the arena. Outside, a presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain played on a big screen. When concert goers stuck around to watch the debate outside, the building hosted a massive presidential watch party.8. Tulane Green Wave: Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse, opened in 1933Truth be told, the fieldhouse is a pretty sweet gem of a gym on the New Orleans campus and better yet, the old place was given a complete facelift in 2012. And at just 4,000 seats its got all the ingredients to be a tough bandbox. But until the Green Waves play can match the facility, the fieldhouse will be stuck near the bottom of the rankings.Fun fact: In 1975, President Gerald Ford announced the end of the United States involvement in the Vietnam War in the fieldhouse. The war is finished, as far as America is concerned, Ford said to cheering students.7. Tulsa Golden Hurricane: Donald W. Reynolds Center, opened in 1998 When your new athletic director makes reviving attendance one of his premiere goals, you have a bit of an issue. But Tulsa AD Derrick Graggs initiative has merits. In the Golden Hurricanes first six seasons at the Reynolds Center, they averaged more than 7,000 fans per game. In the past three seasons, theyve dipped to 4,745. In 2013-14, the year Tulsa won 11 games in a row to earn its first NCAA ticket since 2003, the Golden Hurricane brought just 4,528 people to the building.Fun fact: Before the Reynolds Center opened, the Golden Hurricanes played in 13 different sites in their programs history, including a 20-year run of practicing on campus but competing downtown.6. Houston Cougars: Hofheinz Pavilion, opened in 1969 Theres an asterisk here because, in 2018, the Cougars will open an entirely redesigned facility, and the Hofheinz family (the late Judge Roy Hofheinz is a UH alum) is currently suing the university over the naming rights. The school announced an unnamed donor, who pledged $20 million to the redesign, will get the new naming rights. The family says that violates their contract. The asterisk also exists because when the redesign is done, Houston could conceivably move up the rankings. Just as the team is improving under Kelvin Sampson, a new and improved building could make for a tougher place for opponents to play.Fun fact: A mover and a shaker in Houston, Hofheinz helped bring Major League Baseball to Houston (in the form of the Colt .45s before they became the Astros) and develop the Houston Astrodome.5. Temple Owls: Liacouras Center, opened in 1997 Philly loves its basketball, and Philly knows its basketball, so the fans who come to watch the Owls play are as passionate as any youll find. But Temple has two things working against it: a large commuter student population and too many other options in town. The students who do show up are boisterous, and when folks commit to Temple games -- usually when a big opponent comes to play -- it can be as good an atmosphere as youll find. The struggle is to make that the case because Temple is playing, not because of who Temple is playing.Fun fact: For years the city and the university fought over who would control a $5 million donation Temple had made for a housing project, which was included in the costs of constructing the new arena. As only he could, then Temple coach John Chaney used his postgame media conferences to publicly lambast city officials over the stalled project, going so far as to accuse City Council president John Street of blackmail. No surprise, the two sides soon reached a compromise and construction began.4. Memphis Tigers: FedExForum, opened in 2004This is a tough call because of what FedEx Forum once was and, of course, what it could be once again with new coach Tubby Smith at the helm. As the Tigers struggle on the court, their in-house intimidation factor takes a hit, too. Attendance at Memphis games has been steadily declining, bottoming out at a little more than 12,000 this past season. But if Smith can turn around Texas Tech, surely he can turn around the Tigers.Fun fact: When undefeated and No. 1 Memphis hosted No. 2 Tennessee in 2008, the game was considered such a blockbuster, tickets were rumored to be selling for $10,000 and Entertainment Tonight sent a TV crew to keep tabs on the celebrities in attendance.3. Cincinnati Bearcats: Fifth Third Arena, opened in 1989 Playing the Bearcats, who love nothing better than to ugly up a game, is no fun anywhere. Playing the Bearcats at home, where their crowd is just as relentless as they are, can be downright overwhelming. In the past three seasons, Cincinnati has lost all of seven games at home, but fan attendance is not as dedicated as it once was, and the arena has long needed serious work. When some fans even cited the building as a reason they chose to stay home, the school went to work with a fundraising plan and this year announced it signed a deal with a construction firm ... just in time for possible Big 12 expansion.Fun fact: Despite its bank name, most locals still call the building The Shoe, referring to its original name: Myrl H. Shoemaker Center.2. Connecticut Huskies: Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, opened in 1990 Just getting to Gampel is difficult. Storrs sits only 28 minutes away from Hartford, but its tucked in the middle of nowhere, an outpost down the road from the interstate. And thats on a good day, not on a lovely New England winter day in, say, January or February. And Gampel is not a building you would expect a national program to call home. Its an intimate 10,000-seat arena, of which former coach Jim Calhoun once said, When you walk out there on the floor, you can see the faces, the fans can see the perspiration on the players, and you can really feel the pulse of the crowd. The Huskies, by the way, are 168-30 there. The Huskies also play a portion of their home schedule at Hartfords XL Center.Fun fact: The university originally approved plans to build a new arena in 1979, the same year that UConn joined the Big East. Design changes, an original plan included a flat roof with an artificial turf field on top, and cost overruns delayed the start of construction until 1987.1. SMU Mustangs: Moody Coliseum, opened in 1956 Before Larry Brown arrived in town, SMU averaged 2,013 fans per game. Last season the Mustangs lost one game at Moody. The Hall of Famer can be accused of lots of things, but the man knows how to turn around a program. In its 7,000-seat charming old barn, SMU is now a force in college basketball, with a rowdy home crowd to match its efforts. The big question: Can Tim Jankovich, named head coach after Brown resigned abruptly last month, keep it going?Fun fact: Dallas first ABA franchise, the Chaparrals, played some games at Moody. Owners couldnt agree on a team name so they went with the place where they were meeting, the Chaparral Club. But after just sevens seasons and declining ticket sales, the franchise relocated to another Texas town. The Chaparrals became the San Antonio Spurs. USWNT Shirts . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. USWNT Pro Shop . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. https://www.cheapuswnt.com/ . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. Custom USWNT Jerseys . However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1. USWNT Jerseys 2020 . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Trevor Siemian got the day off but only as a precaution.Rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch ran the Denver Broncos offense at practice Wednesday with Austin Davis also getting some work in while Siemian watched from the sideline and gave his bruised left shoulder another day to heal.With what we did today, I think the other guy needed all of the reps, coach Gary Kubiak said. Trevor didnt need those reps.Siemian said he hopes to practice Thursday and certainly plans to be under center Sunday when the Broncos (4-0) host the Atlanta Falcons (3-1).Ill see how I feel in the morning, he said.Kubiak is prepared to give Lynch his first NFL start if he has to, although hes said he would be OK with giving Siemian the nod even if he isnt able to practice during the week.Id take it all the way to game day. I trust Trevor, Kubiak said. He knows exactly what were doing and hes very bright. Hes on top of everything today. Hes a part of the walk-throughs and everything that were doing so hes on top of everything. Well just see where hes at physically.Lynch was impressive in relief Sunday, throwing for 170 yards and a touchdown in sealing Denvers 27-7 win at Tampa after Siemian got hurt.Siemian, the 250th overall draft pick in 2015, has outdueled top overall picks Cam Newton, Andrew Luck and Jameis Winston along with Andy Dalton, a second-round pick, in his first month as Peyton Mannings successor .Siemian said hes seen the hit he got hurt on just before halftime but doesnt begrudge Buccaneers defensive tackle Clinton McDonald for flinging him to the turf.Hes bringing me to the ground and I just fell funny, Siemian said.Siemian said he figures hell have to work through both the pain and the physical limitations whenever he does return to the field.I feel better than I was yesterday, so I havent tried to do too much, Siemian said.Kubiak held a three-way QB competition this offseason but Siemian and veteran Mark Sanchez quickly separated themselves from Lynch, who slowly adjusted from the spread style he ran at Memphis to Kubiaks West Coast offense with is thick playbook that Lynch compared to a phone book.Hes much improved as far just handling himself, handling the huddle and those types of things, Kubiak said.dddddddddddd His confidence throwing the ball and stuff, hes always had that. Just handling all of the aspects walking in here today, getting a game plan thats different than the one he had last week. He adjusts a little quicker so I think hes just more confident in his ability each week to refocus, start over and get ready to play.Lynch said he figured hed get his shot to run the offense Wednesday.It feels good to get more reps, Lynch said. Im just doing the best that I can in case I do play on Sunday.Kubiak insisted he was preparing one game plan for whichever QB starts.You dont tweak game plans, he said. You plan to play.Running back C.J. Anderson said Lynchs growth over the last few weeks means coaches dont have to dial it down for him.You can just tell the preparation from OTAs and from training camp all the way to now that it gives us the opportunity to not go and be conservative, to go run our offense the way we want to run it, Anderson said. Thats probably the biggest area hes improved in. As far as all the intangibles, the arm strength and getting out of trouble with his feet, hes been born with those. His preparation and understanding the offense better you can actually see that.The Broncos dealt with musical chairs at quarterback on their way to winning Super Bowl 50, so this is nothing new.Were confident with anybody we got back there, Anderson said.The Broncos have won an NFL-best nine consecutive games and theyve done it while playing four QBs: Manning, Brock Osweiler, Siemian and Lynch.A great defense always helps, Anderson said, and then the 10 guys on offense doing their job to make the quarterbacks job easier. People say its a quarterback-driven league, and all our quarterbacks have played well with their opportunity. If we continue to do our job the way we know we can do it, it makes their job that much easier.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton ' ' '