The NCAA News - News & Features

Kentucky reigns again

Wildcats top Syracuse for attendance title; overall I numbers down slightly for 1995-96

BY GARY K. JOHNSON
NCAA Statistics Coordinator

Syracuse, the team attendance champion for the past 11 years, has been knocked off its attendance throne by the same school that defeated the Orangemen in the championship game of the Final Four -- Kentucky. After years of closing the gap, the Wildcats finally surpassed the Orangemen to regain the men's attendance title that they lost to Syracuse 12 years earlier.

Nationally, in games involving a Division I team, attendance was down 17,843, which is a decrease of 53 fans per game. Despite the drop, the 23,542,652 people who pushed through the turnstiles this season represent the fifth-highest turnout since record-keeping began in 1976. The record was set in 1992, when 23,893,993 people saw Division I action.

Across the nation, Division I games averaged 5,588 fans a game, which is sixth-best all-time. The record was set in 1991, when an average of 5,735 fans attended all Division I games.

For all three NCAA divisions combined, 28,225,352 fans saw NCAA men's basketball games in 1995-96. Although that figure is 322,806 fewer spectators than the year before, the drop in average attendance for all games was slight (18 people per game), since fewer games were played. The all-divisions-combined record also was set in 1992 with 29,378,161 spectators.

In 1996, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship averaged 18,920 spectators a game, an increase of 2,062 per game over last year. However, this figure is more a reflection of arena size at the tournament's 13 neutral sites than the popularity of the championship. This year, in the 34 tournament sessions, 95.2 percent of the total attendance capacity was reached.

Big Ten holds position

The Big Ten Conference has been the conference leader in attendance since 1977 and led again this

season by averaging 12,769 per game. The 11 teams of the Big Ten brought in 2,106,810 spectators, up 48,047 from last season. Three years ago, the Big Ten set the national conference record of 2,163,693.

The Atlantic Coast Conference passed the Southeastern Conference in a race for second place. The ACC jumped from fifth place last year to second by adding 428 fans per game and averaged 11,334 -- an ACC record and just enough to edge the SEC by two fans a game.

In total numbers, the 12 teams of the Southeastern Conference actually outdrew all other conferences with an SEC-record 2,119,158 spectators.

Besides the Big Ten and SEC, the Big East is the only conference to draw more than two million fans. The Big East attracted a conference-record 2,023,380 spectators and again finished fourth in average per game with 10,219.

Rounding out the top five conferences -- and the only other league to average more than 10,000 spectators a game -- was the new Conference USA. In its inaugural season, the 11 teams of Conference USA brought in 1,601,901 fans to average 10,012 a game.

Next year, Conference USA will add Houston to its roster.

As mentioned earlier, perennial team champion Syracuse gave way to Kentucky as the Wildcats averaged 23,895 fans a game. Syracuse actually outdrew Kentucky, 363,653 to 310,633, but the Orangemen had three more home games and averaged 22,728. Syracuse was the team attendance champion from 1985 to 1995; Kentucky held the title from 1977 to 1984.

North Carolina again finished third and was the only other team to average more than 20,000 fans per game. The Tar Heels filled the Smith Center with an average of 20,912 spectators per game.

Louisville placed fourth in the attendance race at 19,554, while Arkansas dropped a spot to fifth with 19,261.

In addition to Kentucky and Syracuse, two teams saw more than 300,000 people pass through the turnstiles. Arkansas' 18 home games attracted 346,698 fans, while New Mexico's 20 games at The Pit brought in 320,517.

The Division I champion Kentucky Wildcats were seen by the most people this season as 725,884 spectators watched Rick Pitino's squad at home in Rupp Arena in Lexington, on the road, and at neutral sites.

Syracuse again finished second as 672,172 fans saw the Orangemen in person this season.

Divisions II and III

With a 1,708-fan-per-game increase from the year before, South Dakota State claimed its first title as the Division II attendance leader with 4,945 spectators a game.

Last year's champion, Alabama A&M, dropped to second this year, attracting 4,385 fans.

Hope captured its third Division III attendance title with 2,409 spectators per game, finishing just ahead of last year's champion, Calvin.

Hope also earned attendance titles in 1984 and 1991, while Calvin has led the division in eight of the last 10 seasons. Calvin averaged 2,297 fans this season.

The top conference in Division II for the 16th consecutive year was the North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, with 341,119 spectators and a 2,336 average.

The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association topped all Division III conferences with a 1,058 average. The MIAA was the only Division III conference to average more than 1,000 fans a game as it took its fifth consecutive attendance title.

The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin finished second in average at 990, but first in total attendance with 99,045.