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March 6 (UPI) -- Have you ever wondered why the bar is always empty each March when you go for your college basketball fix? Maybe you are living in one of the worst cities in the United States when it comes to getting that March Madness vibe.
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The personal-finance website WalletHub released a study on 2017's best and worst cities for college basketball fans.
According to the study, WalletHub found that Chapel Hill, N.C. was the best spot for college hoops fans. New Britain, Conn. ranked dead last as the worst city to watch college stars in March.
The study ranked 291 U.S. cities using factors including: number of teams per city, winning percentage, stadium capacity, and social media engagement.
Los Angeles, Calif., ranked No. 2 on the list for best college hoops cities. Durham, N.C., Bloomington, Ind., Philadelphia, Pa., East Lancing, Mich., Lawrence, Kan., Lexington, Ky., Storrs, Conn., and Cullowhee, N.C. filled out the top-10 best cities for college hoops fans.
Tampa, Fla. Is the second-worst town for college hoops fans. Peoria, Ill., Daytona Beach, Fla., Clinton, S.C., Hackensack, N.J., Riverside, Calif., Lynchburg, Va., Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and Ithaca, N.Y. filled out the top-10 worst spots for college hoops fans.
About $8.9 million was wagered illegally each on the 2016 NCAA basketball tournament. According to the study, 3.5 million extra barrels of American beer are produced every March. The tournament has had an impact of more than $66 million on Dayton, Ohio's economy since 2001, according to WalletHub.
The March Madness bracket consists of a 68-team field. The average ticket to attend a single game costs about $477. Last year's attendance was down 5 percent from 2015 when 703,854 fans attended 36 sessions of the 2016 tournament.
An estimated $9.2 billion was wagered last year on March Madness. This year, 14 cities host the 2017 basketball tournament.
Kentucky garners a ton of value with its two large basketball programs. The University of Louisville men's basketball program is valued as the highest int eh NCAA, coming in at $45.4 million. Kansas [$30.8 million], Kentucky [$28.9 million], Indiana [$27.3 million], and North Carolina [$26.6 million] round out the top-5 most valuable programs in the country.
