I think there’s a wide range of reasons why attendance has declined for most programs. Some of it is stuff a university can control; others not so much.
Scanned Tickets Ave for MBB for 2023-2024 = 5,742 (38% of 14,998 Capacity). Average Attendance = 9,961
- Thread starter Franisdaman
- Start date
For me the problem is Fran has been so good in certain areas. Offensively, Iowa is great to watch. I’d argue he’s created/developed talent at the three through five position better than anyone in the country.
Unfortunately, his unwillingness to coach defense has really hurt Iowa in March. Dembele, Freeman, Dix, Perkins, Harding can be a good defensive lineup if they were pushed.
And the guard play has been really bad the past decade, excluding Dix and Perkins. They are the two best guards we’ve had in a long time. With even average big ten guards, Iowa has been in elite eights and sweet sixteens the past five years.
Unfortunately, his unwillingness to coach defense has really hurt Iowa in March. Dembele, Freeman, Dix, Perkins, Harding can be a good defensive lineup if they were pushed.
And the guard play has been really bad the past decade, excluding Dix and Perkins. They are the two best guards we’ve had in a long time. With even average big ten guards, Iowa has been in elite eights and sweet sixteens the past five years.
Here are the final numbers:
John Steppe
Apr. 30, 2024
IOWA CITY — Basketball turnout at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 2023-24 was a tale of two teams.
Iowa men’s basketball averaged 5,742 fans per game over the course of the 2023-24 season, according to tickets scanned data obtained by The Gazette via a public records request.
3,444: North Dakota
5,563: Alabama State
5,430: Arkansas State
3,040: North Florida
6,580: Michigan
3,660: UMBC
8,760: Northern Illinois
6,228: Rutgers
1,351: Nebraska
10,332: Purdue
4,316: Maryland
6,875: Ohio State
5,225: Minnesota
10,372: Wisconsin
4,206: Penn State
10,182: Illinois
Iowa men’s basketball had an average reported attendance of 9,961 — about 66 percent of Carver-Hawkeye Arena’s capacity.
Iowa women’s basketball’s reported attendance average for its 14 regular-season games plus one preseason exhibition at Carver-Hawkeye Arena was 14,998 — 100 percent of the arena’s capacity after selling out the entire season.
Iowa men’s basketball had only three home games with crowds that were more than two-thirds full — Jan. 20 vs. Purdue (10,332), Feb. 17 vs. Wisconsin (10,372) and March 10 vs. Illinois (10,182).
“We’re going to continue to do our best to make sure that we provide an environment that’s going to get them there, so we can support the program as best we can,” Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz said earlier this year regarding the men’s basketball turnout woes.
Iowa men’s basketball went 19-15 and reached the second round of the NIT. However, the team had gone to four consecutive NCAA tournaments before 2023-24 — the program’s longest streak since the 1980s — and Fran McCaffery is the program’s all-time winningest coach.
www.thegazette.com
How many fans turned out for Iowa men’s basketball games in 2023-24
Apr. 30, 2024
IOWA CITY — Basketball turnout at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 2023-24 was a tale of two teams.
Game-by game numbers: Iowa men’s basketball tickets scanned in 2023-24
Iowa men’s basketball averaged 5,742 fans per game over the course of the 2023-24 season, according to tickets scanned data obtained by The Gazette via a public records request.
2023-24 Iowa men's basketball tickets scanned by game:
2,053: Quincy (exhibition)3,444: North Dakota
5,563: Alabama State
5,430: Arkansas State
3,040: North Florida
6,580: Michigan
3,660: UMBC
8,760: Northern Illinois
6,228: Rutgers
1,351: Nebraska
10,332: Purdue
4,316: Maryland
6,875: Ohio State
5,225: Minnesota
10,372: Wisconsin
4,206: Penn State
10,182: Illinois
Analysis: What Iowa basketball tickets scanned data means
These figures look at how many fans passed through the Carver-Hawkeye Arena doors (and therefore had tickets scanned) unlike the reported attendance numbers, which are reflective of how many tickets were sold.Iowa men’s basketball had an average reported attendance of 9,961 — about 66 percent of Carver-Hawkeye Arena’s capacity.
Iowa women’s basketball’s reported attendance average for its 14 regular-season games plus one preseason exhibition at Carver-Hawkeye Arena was 14,998 — 100 percent of the arena’s capacity after selling out the entire season.
Iowa men’s basketball had only three home games with crowds that were more than two-thirds full — Jan. 20 vs. Purdue (10,332), Feb. 17 vs. Wisconsin (10,372) and March 10 vs. Illinois (10,182).
“We’re going to continue to do our best to make sure that we provide an environment that’s going to get them there, so we can support the program as best we can,” Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz said earlier this year regarding the men’s basketball turnout woes.
Iowa men’s basketball went 19-15 and reached the second round of the NIT. However, the team had gone to four consecutive NCAA tournaments before 2023-24 — the program’s longest streak since the 1980s — and Fran McCaffery is the program’s all-time winningest coach.
How many fans turned out for Iowa WBB, MBB games in 2023-24
Basketball attendance at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 2023-24 was a tale of two teams, as evident by tickets scanned data obtained by The Gazette via a public records request.
www.thegazette.com
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@HawkHoops80 , note that the Illinois & Wisconsin attendance figures indicate all 14,998 tickets were sold/distributed. Just over 10,000 showed up for both games, however.
There's a big difference between the announced attendance & actual butts in the seats.
For the 2023-2024 MBB Season:
Announced...Scanned
Attendance...Tickets (actual butts in seats)
???............2,053: Quincy (exhibition)
7,653........3,444: North Dakota
8,814........5,563: Alabama State
9,536........5,430: Arkansas State
8,641........3,040: North Florida
10,000.....6,580: Michigan
8,357........3,660: UMBC
11,846.......8,760: Northern Illinois
9,273.........6,228: Rutgers
9,670..........1,351: Nebraska
14,232......10,332: Purdue
8,532.........4,316: Maryland
9,986........6,875: Ohio State
9,768.........5,225: Minnesota
14,998.....10,372: Wisconsin
8,140........4,206: Penn State
14,998.....10,182: Illinois
There's a big difference between the announced attendance & actual butts in the seats.
For the 2023-2024 MBB Season:
Announced...Scanned
Attendance...Tickets (actual butts in seats)
???............2,053: Quincy (exhibition)
7,653........3,444: North Dakota
8,814........5,563: Alabama State
9,536........5,430: Arkansas State
8,641........3,040: North Florida
10,000.....6,580: Michigan
8,357........3,660: UMBC
11,846.......8,760: Northern Illinois
9,273.........6,228: Rutgers
9,670..........1,351: Nebraska
14,232......10,332: Purdue
8,532.........4,316: Maryland
9,986........6,875: Ohio State
9,768.........5,225: Minnesota
14,998.....10,372: Wisconsin
8,140........4,206: Penn State
14,998.....10,182: Illinois
Have you found any numbers from years past that show actual fans scanning tickets?
Seems like every year there’s huge blocks of unused seats in decent sections.
it would be interesting to see those numbers as well as the ticket revenue over the years
also, I would image MBB ticket revenue at one time was a nice percentage of total Iowa ticket revenue; i wonder what it is now....
I can get you revenue and ticket sale revenue going back to 2017-18. For basketball in 2022-23, ticket sales were about 23% of the revenue. Total revenue just under $15 million and ticket sales were $3.4 million.
https://www.sportico.com/business/c...finances-database-intercollegiate-1234646029/
Interesting stuff. It's not like ticket revenue has fallen off a cliff.
Ticket Sales:
$3.4M: 2022-23
$3.1M: 2021-22
$26K (Covid): 2020-21
$3.3M: 2019-20
$3.6M: 2018-19
$2.9M: 2017-2018
I remember in the 2000-2001 when we sold out every game at 15,500 seats. And just about every seat was filled for every game. Reggie Evans was awesome.
YesRedacted sucks, but we didn't know that yet. We'd just pulled in a McDonald's All American as a transfer from Indiana by way of Arizona in Luke Recker. Pulled in another SG transfer in Ryan Hogan from Kentucky. Had Reggie come in from Juco to clean the glass on every available rebound. Had a five person freshman class that was highly ranked nationally. And had a senior true PG running the show. There was hope and optimism in the program.
We have none of those things right now and haven't in forever. The program has gone stagnant, woefully underperforming considering the handful of NBA players we've had come through in the past several years. We're pulling in transfers from non-name schools, not big time programs. We can't rebound or play defense to save our lives. We're lucky to have a recruiting class that is middle of the pack in the conference. We haven't had a high-end true PG in forever. And the fanbase has become apathetic as shown by the dwindling attendance numbers over the years.
There will be no renewed optimism in the program until there is a change at the top.
Yes
We have none of those things right now and haven't in forever. The program has gone stagnant, woefully underperforming considering the handful of NBA players we've had come through in the past several years. We're pulling in transfers from non-name schools, not big time programs. We can't rebound or play defense to save our lives. We're lucky to have a recruiting class that is middle of the pack in the conference. We haven't had a high-end true PG in forever. And the fanbase has become apathetic as shown by the dwindling attendance numbers over the years.
There will be no renewed optimism in the program until there is a change at the top.
