This Year and Attendance

[orange2win]

Since 1977 only 2 teams have held the top spot for annual attendance. UK - 23 times and SU - 13 times. The Rupp Arena opened in 1974 and holds about 23,500 for basketball. Kentucky sells out every game, so in order to beat them, we must average better than 23,500/game.

This year thru 11 games we are averaging around 20k. Good, but not great. It will take a bunch of 30k+ games to keep our first place, which we took back last year after a 10 year dry spell.

I thought this year against #6 UNC on a Sat. night and JB's big return, we would do better than 26.8k, but 30k+ games in December are very rare. There have only been 2 ever.

Another oddity is that we have just 17 home games this year. The lowest since 2004.

Do you think we will keep out 1st place for attendance this year? There are only 6 home games to go.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

ND
Ga Tech
Va Tech
FSU
Pitt
NC State.

Other than possibly ND, we're not drawing anywhere near 30,000 for the remaining games.

Not really sexy opponents. :noidea:

 

[MSOrange]

ND
Ga Tech
Va Tech
FSU
Pitt
NC State.

Other than possibly ND, we're not drawing anywhere near 30,000 for the remaining games.

Not really s e xy opponents. :noidea:

Pitt has a chance to draw decently if we're doing okay at that point, but I agree, not a 30,000 game.

 

[orange2win]

Maybe not. Last year's team was not very good and we had three 30k games - Miami, Duke and Pitt. Duke is special ... but the other two???

We need better than 22k ave. to beat out Louisville for the #2 spot.

 

[Eric15]

but 30k+ games in December are very rare. There have only been 2 ever.

That sounds like a good trivia question -- can you tell us what seasons they occurred?

 

[orange2win]

That sounds like a good trivia question -- can you tell us what seasons they occurred?

Yes.

Dec. 10, 1983 against UNC. We lost 64-87 in front of 32,235. December 2, 1990 we beat Temple (of all people, speaking of sexy) 73-56 with 30,049 in attendance.

 

[690West]

Yes.

Dec. 10, 1983 against UNC. We lost 64-87 in front of 32,235. December 2, 1990 we beat Temple (of all people, speaking of s e xy) 73-56 with 30,049 in attendance.

Mark Macon was s e xy!! That Temple team was 3 points away from beating #1 seed UNC and going to final four that year as a 10 seed

 

[OttoMets]

Mark Macon was s e xy!! That Temple team was 3 points away from beating #1 seed UNC and going to final four that year as a 10 seed

Yeah that was a huge non-conference game at a time when Chaney had Temple playing at a high level every year.

And, if memory serves, it's the largest Friday night crowd in Dome history.

 

[690West]

Yeah that was a huge non-conference game at a time when Chaney had Temple playing at a high level every year.

And, if memory serves, it's the largest Friday night crowd in Dome history.

December 2, 1990 was a Sunday.

 

[sutomcat]

Yes.

Dec. 10, 1983 against UNC. We lost 64-87 in front of 32,235. December 2, 1990 we beat Temple (of all people, speaking of s e xy) 73-56 with 30,049 in attendance.

The 1983 UNC team had Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins, Brad Daugherty, Matt Doherty and Kenny Smith on it. They finished the season 28-3, losing to Bobby Knight and Indiana in the Sweet Sixteen. They were pretty good too.

 

[OrangeAl]

The 90-91 season was in that era of great attendance where we didn't have to depend on record crowds to balance small crowds. It seemed like every game was in the upper 20's.

 

[OttoMets]

December 2, 1990 was a Sunday.

And I'm wrong again