Big Ten Basketball Leads Nation in Attendance for 40th Straight Year
Rosemont, Ill. - The Big Ten Conference led the nation in men’s basketball attendance for the 40th consecutive season according to figures released by the NCAA. The Big Ten recorded an average attendance of 12,555 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 3,105,265 fans, the second consecutive season eclipsing three million in total attendance.
Eleven conference schools ranked among the top 38 in average attendance. Maryland led the Big Ten and ranked fifth nationally with an average of 17,863 fans per game. Wisconsin (17,287) ranked sixth, followed by No. 7 Indiana (17,106), No. 11 Nebraska (15,429), No. 13 Michigan State (14,797), No. 19 Iowa (13,835), No. 20 Purdue (13,662), No. 27 Illinois (12,723), No. 28 Ohio State (12,283), No. 33 Michigan (11,611) and No. 38 Minnesota (10,706).
Maryland increased its average attendance from the 2014-15 season by 5,169 fans per game, the largest increase in the nation. Purdue’s average attendance increased by 2,140 per contest, which ranked sixth nationally.
