The NBA mid-season tournament is a developing concept that’s here to stay. Perhaps the fourth edition will look a little different. The last three NBA Cup finals were held in Las Vegas, with the T-Mobile Arena serving as neutral ground. Now, Adam Silver is planning to bring it to the college level.

In an interesting new move, the big boys will be hosted at college venues for the 2026 NBA Cup final if the Commissioner’s plan goes through. Usually, an NCAA arena isn’t equipped with all the bells and whistles to handle a tenfold crowd. So, which venue could host the Cup matchup next year?

Which are the top college arenas that can host the NBA Cup: What makes them perfect?

Las Vegas, which had no basketball team or presence, became synonymous with the NBA Cup. That’s supposed to change under the new NBA media package. Over the last three years, the NBA has signed one-year contracts with T-Mobile Arena to host its games in the in-season cup.

A change already announced in September was that the semifinals would be held at home sites starting next year. The point being simply that Prime Video wants a more compelling broadcast, which it believes is generated by larger, more partisan home crowds. But now, according to Silver, the Finals are set to be rerouted as well.

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“We’re talking with Amazon Prime about whether it makes sense to maybe go to some unique locations for the final game,” he said on Tuesday during the NBA on Prime pregame show. “They have suggested, for example, some storied college arenas. So we’re just looking at other ways we can do this.”

Some venues immediately meet the ‘storied’ criteria.

A glance at the top 10 college venues ranked by the NCAA could make the NBA’s job easy in picking a neutral site for 2026.

Duke University’s Cameron Indoor Stadium and the University of Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse are the top two frontrunners for the NBA Cup. Purdue’s Mackey Arena is a close third. If they want a place with more history, it would have to be The Palestra at the University of Pennsylvania.

Iowa State’s Hilton Coliseum, which has held NBA preseason games in the past, could be considered. The Bud Walton Arena in Arkansas and the Big Ten contender Michigan State’s Breslin Center also shouldn’t be ruled by any means.

Which are the top college arenas that can not host the NBA Cup: Know the reasons behind it

The only university arena that won’t be considered to host the NBA Cup is St. John’s. The school shares its venue with the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The NBA Cup defenders would have to earn home-court advantage in the knockout rounds next year, but it surely won’t be a neutral site in the final.

The Cameron Indoor Stadium, Allen Fieldhouse, and Mackey Arena would also require additional provisions to host an NBA game. Prime Video drives this concept. Things like guardrails, extra seating, locker rooms suited for NBA players, and media facilities that would far surpass the March Madness aesthetic.

For now, though, Silver has left it open-ended. It’s a work in progress. But there are schools vying for the publicity and scouts that the premier event can bring this time next year.