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??Oh, sure, the 2015-16 season may have extended the Big Tens national title drought to the better part of two decades, but it also extended a much less ignominious, and borderline mind-blowing streak: it was the 40th straight year the league led the nation in attendance.If a difficult venue is a full venue, the Big Ten has more of both than most. Not that there arent exceptions ...14. Penn State Nittany Lions: Bryce Jordan Center, opened in 1995Speaking of exceptions, heres one that proves the rule. The Bryce Jordan Center is a perfectly nice and relatively new arena that few people actually ever enter, at least for Penn State basketball games. In a gym that seats 15,000, the Nittany Lions averaged just 6,909 per game last season. They have a dark gym, Indiana guard Yogi Ferrell said in March. And its a little quiet.Fun fact: In 2011, the Nittany Lions were barred from practicing in their own gym for two straight weeks by famous rock artists/time lords Bon Jovi (Week 1) and a career fair (Week 2). Ouch.13. Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Rutgers Athletic Center, opened in 1977 Basketball is an intimate sport, which is why a smallish arena can be its perfect setting. (See: Indoor Stadium, Cameron.) In the past, Rutgers home gym, also known as the RAC, was exactly that. In this world, the Scarlet Knights have won three (!) Big Ten games in the past two seasons. They all came at the RAC.Fun fact: One of those three wins came against back-to-back Final Four participant Wisconsin. (Frank Kaminsky was hurt, but still.)12. Northwestern Wildcats: Welsh-Ryan Arena, opened in 1952 Welsh-Ryan is small, most of the seats are bleachers and, given Chicagos crush of Big Ten alumni, most league games are split more or less 50-50 between home and visiting fans. Its easy, and fun, to pretend youre at a really well-played high school game. None of which makes it a difficult place to play.Fun fact: Northwestern hosted the first-ever NCAA tournament in 1939, in the old Patten Gymnasium. McGaw Memorial Hall -- which technically houses Welsh-Ryan Arena, plus some other stuff -- hosted the Final Four in 1956.11. Nebraska Cornhuskers: Pinnacle Bank Arena, opened in 2013 Is this a tough place to play? Its too early to say. Pinnacle is basically brand new, and its first season (2013-14) was a rousing success. Nebraska went 19-13, lost just once at home and made the NCAA tournament for the first time in forever. The Cornhuskers have regressed in the two seasons since, though, which has made it hard to appraise, tough-venue-wise.Fun fact: Pinnacle suite-goers can enjoy 10 sushi rolls, 12 pieces of nigiri and 12 pieces of sashimi for $204. And why not? Nebraska is famous for its sushi, right?10. Ohio State Buckeyes: Value City Arena, opened in 1998 Argument in favor: Ohio State has had its best, most sustained period of basketball success since it moved to Value City Arena in 1998.Argument against: Coach Thad Matta could probably win basketball games in a derelict Eastern European airplane hangar.Argument in favor: In 2010-11, in a move rare among major college programs, and in the hopes of boosting atmosphere, OSU actually listened to its fans and relocated student seats behind team benches.Argument against: Its official title is Value City Arena at The Jerome Schottenstein Center.Fun fact: OSU designed its current home with an eye toward preempting Columbus own pro-arena ambitions ... which is how a program that averaged fewer than 13,000 fans per game last season (which is a lot!) wound up in a 19,000-seat gym.9. Iowa Hawkeyes: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, opened in 1983Carver-Hawkeye has high highs and low lows. When the Hawks are rolling and a big opponent is in town, its one of the toughest buildings anywhere. Any other time -- or, say, in an early-Saturday-afternoon start, when an already-small student section has been decimated by whatever its members did at The Summit 12 hours earlier -- it can be downright dreary.Fun fact: Carvers most unique feature is that it resides almost entirely underground, in a concrete bowl carved (sorry) out of the side of a hill, which earned its designers the prestigious American Institute of Architects Honors Award in 1984.8. Minnesota Golden Gophers: Williams Arena, opened in 1928 The only reason Williams Arena isnt higher (er, lower) on this list is because it wasnt difficult to play Richard Pitinos team anywhere in 2015-16. Despite that 8-23 (2-16 Big Ten) disaster, though, The Barn hosted an average of 11,000 Gopher die-hards per game; their raucous dedication was rewarded with a cathartic Feb. 18 upset of Maryland. It helps that The Barn is one of the nations most historic sports venues, one so well-designed that it remains as fashionable now as at any point in the past 90 years.Fun fact: The Minnesota Field House was built in 1928, the same year as Butlers famed Hinkle Fieldhouse. From 1928 until 1950, Hinkle was the biggest college hoops arena in the country; after a 1950 renovation (and a name change), Williams Arena became the largest -- a title it held until 1971. Good run.7. Illinois Fighting Illini: State Farm Center, opened in 1963 During the brief Bill Self era, and well into Bruce Webers (initially) successful tenure, State Farm Center Assembly Hall (it was renamed in 2013) was one of the most imposing buildings in college basketball. Illinois student section, the Orange Krush, can be as genuinely funny as any in the country, though the on-court inspiration has been lacking of late.Fun fact: It looks like?a repurposed vessel from a faraway alien planet.6. Michigan Wolverines: Crisler Center, opened in 1967In 2007, for example, a first-time visitor to Ann Arbor, en route to Crisler, could drive by Michigan Stadium in all its glory only to find the basketball arena a drastic comparative letdown. Those days are over. Not only are the John Beilein-era Wolverines better, and the attendance and enthusiasm much higher than in the years preceding him, but a recent renovation has made the building one of the Big Tens more impressive fixtures. Putting students so close to the floor is a plus.Fun fact: Its referred to as The House that Cazzie Built, in honor of Cazzie Russell, a two-time All-American and the No. 1 pick in the 1966 NBA draft. Russell is the first (and only) Wolverine to have his number retired to the Crisler rafters. Other honored jerseys include legendary NBA coach Rudy Tomjanovich and former All-Star Glen Rice.5. Maryland Terrapins: Xfinity Center, opened in 2002 First of all, the Xfinity Center does not seem 14 years old. By the time you hit the parking lot, the idea that the building opened the same year Gary Williams led Juan Dixon and Co. to a national title seems factually impossible. Yet its true. Also true: Terps fans are every bit as crazy in this building as they were in the beloved old Cole Field House, a characteristic accentuated by the students courtside omnipresence. Granted, they dont have to deal with DMV traffic, but still. They arrive early, they get loud, and they stay that way.Fun fact: The WiFi is pretty bad. (To be fair, so is the Verizon Centers.)4. Purdue Boilermakers: Mackey Arena, opened in 1967 Mackey Arena has seen some significant quality-of-life upgrades in recent years, but the guts of the building remain mostly unchanged. This is a good thing. Mackey is, as weve noted in the past, a concrete dungeon of noise, one of the most underrated, acoustically punishing and generally inhospitable facilities in college basketball. The students hanging over the elevated baseline stands, more or less eye-level with the shooters angle at the basket, are a problem, sure. But mostly, its just. So. Loud.Fun fact:?Purdue great Brian Cardinal is installing a replica Mackey Arena floor at a public court in Valparaiso, Indiana, an initially awkward-seeming spot. Valpo has its own hoops thing going, which is explained by its status as the hometown of fellow Purdue alum Robbie Hummel. Either way, as public courts go, this is awesome.3. Wisconsin Badgers: Kohl Center, opened in 1998Since the Kohl Centers inaugural season, the Wisconsin Badgers have won 259 of their 298 home games in the facility. Considering the Badgers lost five of those home games during last seasons atypical 9-9 start -- when Bo Ryan retired, Greg Gard took over, UW closed the season with a 13-4 burst and a Sweet 16 finish -- its safe to say the Kohl Centers uncongeniality for opponents is an ongoing concern.Fun fact: The building itself is named after Herb Kohl, former U.S. senator and retail magnate, who donated $25 million toward its construction, the largest donation in the history of the Wisconsin university system. Some fans used to (or still?) call the building Herb Garden, which is chill.2. Michigan State Spartans: Breslin Student Events Center, opened in 1989 Look, its Michigan State. Its the Breslin Center. Do you really need further proof? Fine: Coach Tom Izzos home record, across 21 seasons as the Spartans head coach, is 294-38. That may not be Bill Self-level, Ive-won-more-league-titles-than-Ive-lost-home-games-crazy, but its close. And the fans, fed by success and led by a cacophonous lower-level student section, ensure a difficult stay for any visiting team.Fun fact: The Breslin Center floor is the same one upon which the Spartans, led by Mateen Cleaves et al., won the 2000 national title.1. Indiana Hoosiers: Assembly Hall, opened in 1971 Were this a list of the best basketball venues in Indiana, Hinkle Fieldhouse would win. (Though there would be a few mid-century, 7,000-seat high school arenas in the running.) Toughest, though? Thats Assembly Hall. Its bonkers-loud, even when the team is just so-so. The sideline stands rise impossibly, and imposingly, into the rafters. And you can forgive the student sections incongruous split between the baseline, corners and upper deck for two reasons:The deep-pocketed who occupy the prime sideline seats are as locked-in and rowdy as most 20-year-olds.The 17,472-seat gym typically packs in 7,800 students a night. No setting in college basketball has more. 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PITTSBURGH -- Ben Roethlisberger passed for 380 yards and four touchdowns and the surging Pittsburgh Steelers pulled away in the second half for a 31-13 win over the New York Jets on Sunday.Sammie Coates caught six passes for a career-high 139 yards and two scores, including a 72-yard catch-and-run for a score on Pittsburghs opening drive as the Steelers moved the ball at will against a secondary missing injured star Darrelle Revis.Steelers running back LeVeon Bell racked up 154 yards of total offense, including a career-high nine receptions, while Antonio Brown caught nine passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. The All-Pro receiver, who has been fined on multiple occasions this season for crossing the line during his celebratory dances, simply handed the ball to a fan in the stands.New Yorks Ryan Fitzpatrick avoided the interceptions that have plagued him this season, completing 25 of 38 for 265 yards and a touchdown to Brandon Marshall. Yet the Jets also mustered little offense in the second half and couldnt keep up as the Steelers put together clinical scoring drive after clinical scoring drive.Pittsburgh (4-1) played without starting right tackle Marcus Gilbert, but had little trouble protecting Roethlisberger from one of the NFLs top defensive lines. Roethlisberger was sacked just once and rarely pressured as he spread the ball around. Six Steelers had at least two receptions.New York took a 13-7 lead in the second quarter on a 15-yard lob from Fitzpatrick to Marshall, but the Steelers took the lead back with a brilliant 11-plaay, 75-yard drive in the final 2 minutes of the half, ending with a flip from Roethlisberger to Jesse James.ddddddddddddRoethlisberger hit Brown for a 5-yard score early in the fourth quarter to make it 24-13. The Jets (1-4) faced a fourth down at its own 34 on its next possession and opted to punt. Still down two scores later in the fourth, New York again opted to kick on fourth down at midfield with 7:29 left.Pittsburgh responded by going 79 yards in 12 plays, ending the competitive portion of the afternoon with Roethlisbergers second touchdown pass to Coates.TRAINERS ROOMJets: Linebacker David Harris exited late in the first half with a hamstring injury. Center Nick Mangold went down in the third quarter with a knee injury and cornerback Darryl Roberts left in the third quarter with a shoulder problem. Defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson left in the fourth quarter after injuring his knee while recovering a Roethlisberger fumble, but returned.Steelers: Defensive end Cam Heyward, whose three sacks lead the team, left in the first half with a left hamstring injury and did not return. Safety Shamarko Thomas also left in the first half with a left groin injury.UP NEXTJets: travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals on Monday Night Football on Oct. 17.Steelers: continue their three-game swing against AFC East teams when they visit the Dolphins.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Authentic Nike Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Tennessee Titans Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Washington Redskins Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Arizona Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Denver Broncos Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Green Bay Packers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike New England Patriots Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Oakland Raiders Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Seattle Seahawks Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Carolina Panthers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Cleveland Browns Jerseys Cheap Cheap Throwback Baseball Arizona Diamondbacks Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Atlanta Braves Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Baltimore Orioles Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Boston Red Sox Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Chicago Cubs Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Chicago White Sox Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Cincinnati Reds Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Cleveland Indians Jerseys ' ' '