Harding University wins ‘Best Road Trip Destination in College Basketball’ contest

Last month we told readers how they could vote for Harding University in the “Best Road Trip Destination in College Basketball” competition, presented by Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
You read. You voted. And they won.
The Searcy, Ark., university, associated with Churches of Christ, reports:

Harding University beat out nine other worthy contenders through a two-week Facebook voting competition and won the “Best Road Trip Destination in College Basketball presented by Enterprise Rent-A-Car,” Intersport announced today. The entire Harding community, led by the “Rhodes Rowdies” – the moniker of the Bison fan base – came out in full force to push their team to the top, earning the Division II school an in-depth feature on what makes the Rhodes Field House, the HU campus and the town of Searcy, Ark., a special place for any college basketball fan to visit. The feature will be filmed on March 2, when Harding hosts Southeastern Oklahoma State in its last regular season home game, and will air on GEICO Best of College Basketballat 1 P.M. ET, April 6, on CBS Sports.
“We may not have as many people as some of the other larger arenas and universities,” said Harding head basketball coach Jeff Morgan . “But what we have had for several years is a very passionate, creative, and positive student body, faculty, staff, and community that come to the Rhodes Field House and are a huge part of our team. There is a really strong connection between what is happening on the floor and what is going on in the stands. We want to thank everyone who, through the years, has helped make this a really special place for college basketball. Congratulations and thank you to all of our Harding Team!”
Harding, home to fewer than 7,000 students, beat out basketball powerhouses Indiana University and University of Arizona. The other finalists included: Brigham Young University, College of Charleston, Creighton University, University of Memphis, West Virginia University, Wichita State University and Xavier University. The 10 finalists were chosen based on a wide range of categories including in-game atmosphere, history of the program, pre- and post-game events, scenery and attractions of the town and many more. Fans can visit the Facebook page (Facebook.com/BestofCollegeBasketball ) for more information and view photo albums showcasing why each school is a perfect college basketball road trip destination.

Read the full release.