Big Ten Basketball Leads Nation in Attendance for 41st Straight Year
Rosemont, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference led the nation in men’s basketball attendance for the 41st consecutive season according to figures released by the NCAA. The Big Ten recorded an average attendance of 12,235 patrons per game, including home games and all seven sessions of the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament. In addition, the Big Ten led all conferences with a home and conference tournament total of 3,119,823 fans, the third consecutive season eclipsing three million in total attendance.
Eleven conference schools ranked among the top 37 in average attendance. Wisconsin led the Big Ten and ranked sixth nationally with an average of 17,286 fans per game. Maryland (16,628) ranked seventh, followed by No. 9 Indiana (16,363), No. 11 Nebraska (15,427), No. 13 Michigan State (14,797), No. 18 Purdue (13,819), No. 23 Iowa (12,547), No. 24 Ohio State (12,324), No. 30 Illinois (11,381), No. 33 Michigan (11,121) and No. 37 Minnesota (10,308). For conference games only, the Big Ten drew 1,628,102 fans, eclipsing 1.6 million at conference arenas for the third straight season.