Hoosiers Finish No. 1 in Big Ten in Attendance, 8th Nationally in 2022-23 Season

Indiana averaged 16,101 fans at Assembly Hall during the 2022-23 men's basketball season, finishing first in the Big Ten for the 23rd time. ''We have the best fans in the country,'' coach Mike Woodson said. Illinois was second, followed by Purdue and Maryland. Here's the story, plus attendance figures for all 14 conference schools this season.

© Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall was the place to be during Indiana's men's basketball season this year, and now the numbers bear that out. 

For the first time since the 2013-14 college season, the Indiana men’s basketball program has led the Big Ten Conference in attendance and finished eighth in the country with 273,721 fans showing up at Assembly Hall in 17 home games. 

IU averaged 16,101 fans per contest and listed a capacity of 17,222 during 12 regular season matchups and two preseason exhibitions.

“Our program is grateful to the many fans who make up Hoosier Nation,” second-year Indiana coach Mike Woodson said in a release from the school. “I’ve never wavered from my belief that we have the best fans in the country. I’ve been a part of this program since 1976 and we are blessed to have one of the most loyal and supportive fan bases in college basketball year in and year out.”

In Woodson’s first season in 2021-22, Indiana finished ninth in the country and second in the league — Wisconsin was No. 1 — giving the Hoosiers top-10 finishes in consecutive years for the first time since 2016 and 2017. The Big Ten led all conferences in attendance — that's an annual thing — and nine league schools ranked in the top 28 nationally. The Big Ten has led the nation in attendance for 47 years in a row, dating all the way back to 1976 (ACC) and not counting the 2020-21 COVID season where fans weren't allowed at most college games.

This year, the Hoosiers were the Big Ten leader in fans drawn for the first time since 2014. Since Assembly Hall opened in 1971-72, IU has finished among the top-10 programs in the nation 39 times and led the Big Ten in that category 23 times. The Hoosiers led the nation in attendance at 16,892 during its undefeated national championship season in 1976. 

IU’s highest average total came in 2012-13 when 17,412 attended 19 home games for a team that was ranked No. 1 in the country the majority of the season and won the Big Ten outright title. The Hoosiers rated fifth nationally in attendance that year.

Indiana opens the 2023-24 season on Nov. 7 against Florida Gulf Coast in Bloomington at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Here is the list of attendance numbers for Big Ten schools this year:

Big Ten basketball attendance in 2023

1. Indiana — 16,101
2. Illinois — 15,091
3. Purdue — 14, 876
4. Maryland — 14,046
5. Michigan State — 13,811
6. Wisconsin — 13,288
7. Nebraska — 13,221
8. Iowa — 12,370
9. Ohio State — 12,181
10. Michigan — 11,749
11. Minnesota — 9,451
12. Rutgers — 8,220
13. Penn State — 7,719
14. Northwestern — 4,890