Missoula Climbs National Rankings for Basketball Fans in 2026

WalletHub releases its "Best & Worst Cities for Basketball Fans" every year, analyzing how many basketball teams are in each city (pro and college), how successful the teams are, fan engagement on social media, ticket prices, stadium capacities, and other metrics.

Missoula has consistently been moving up the list over the last couple of years.

In 2024, Missoula was #219 on the list. In 2025, Missoula moved up to #200.

In 2026, Missoula vaulted up to #168.

Obviously, Missoula doesn't have an NBA team, so it will never move to the upper echelon of basketball royalty like a Los Angeles (UCLA, USC, Lakers, Clippers) or Philadelphia (76ers, Villanova).

Missoula doesn't have all of the Big Sky beat, but they're about smackdab in the middle. Missoula has the following schools beat.

199. Bozeman
210. Pocatello
212. Flagstaff
269. Moscow

Cheney (#104), Ogden (#139), and Greeley (#165) ranked higher. Portland (#19) and Sacramento (#20) did too, though much of that weight comes from the Trail Blazers and Kings.

READ MORE: Montana Griz, Lady Griz Add Several Key Transfers

I don't agree with those cities being ranked over Missoula, but I can understand it to a degree. We're not far removed from Eastern Washington winning multiple titles, Northern Colorado has been a top competitor in the Big Sky, and Weber State was, once upon a time, a force in the league.

But I'm biased as well.

FULL RANKINGS OF BEST AND WORST BASKETBALL CITIES

LA was named the best basketball city, followed by Boston, San Francisco, Miami, and Salt Lake City.

SLC surprised me. The Jazz haven’t been competitive for several seasons, and the Utes aren't a good basketball program either.