Indiana Men’s Basketball Leads Big Ten In Attendance For Third Straight Season

If you needed confirmation of how devoted Indiana’s men’s basketball fan base is, look no further than the average Big Ten attendance for the 2024-25 season.

In terms of per game average attendance, Indiana led the Big Ten – and it wasn’t particularly close.

The announced attendance average at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall was 16,447 for the 2024-25 season. That average ranked eighth nationally. North Carolina led the nation with a 20,501 average. It was the third season in a row Indiana led the Big Ten in attendance average.

Indiana’s average dropped marginally from 2023-24 when the Hoosiers averaged 16,458 per game.

It should be stressed that the “announced” in attendance is just that. Schools very often count tickets distributed, which is not necessarily a reflection of how many people are actually in the building.

To wit, the only non-sellouts Indiana announced during the season – Chattanooga (13,574), Winthrop (14,499), Rutgers (13,843) and USC (13,022) – were played when students were on winter break.

All games at Assembly Hall played while students were on campus had an announced attendance of 17,222.

Here are the 2024-25 attendance averages for each Big Ten program:

1. Indiana: 16,447
2. Illinois: 15,091
3. Wisconsin: 15,006
4. Nebraska: 14,964
5. Purdue: 14,876
6. Michigan State: 14,797
7. Maryland: 15,157
8. Michigan: 12,007
9. Ohio State: 11,578
10. Iowa: 9,161
11. Minnesota: 8.923
12. Rutgers: 8,593
13. Oregon: 7,514
14. Penn State: 7,469
15. Washington: 7,044
16. UCLA: 6,990
17. Northwestern: 6,135
18. USC: 5,074

Where it gets interesting is determining how good or bad attendance is as a percentage of capacity.

For example, Indiana is always going to beat Rutgers in attendance average because Assembly Hall’s capacity is 17,222 and Rutgers’ Jersey Mike’s Arena is 8,000.

A more accurate way to interpret interest is to compare announced attendance against capacity – which would seem to be a straightforward exercise, but that’s not always the case.

Several schools count off-campus games as home games. Rutgers, for example, counted its game at Madison Square Garden in its home attendance average. It meant Rutgers averaged 107.4% of the actual capacity at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

Penn State counted two home games away from Bryce Jordan Center – a game against Indiana at Philadelphia’s Palestra and a game against Ohio State in its former arena, Rec Hall. Penn State’s capacity percentage rises slightly based on games played at Jordan Center only.

For this story, percentages shown demonstrate announced on-campus attendance.

Indiana still rates highly in this department, but not at the top of the Big Ten. The Hoosiers ranked sixth in the conference in capacity percentage at 95.4%.

Here’s the capacity percentage for the 2024-25 each Big Ten program:

1. Purdue: 100%
1. Michigan State: 100%
1. Rutgers: 100%
4. Illinois: 97%
5. Nebraska: 96.5%
6. Indiana: 95.4%
7. Michigan: 94.4%
8. Wisconsin: 89.1%
9. Northwestern: 87.1%
10. Maryland: 84.4%
11. Washington: 70.4%
12. Ohio State: 61.5%
13. Iowa: 61.08%
14. Minnesota: 61.01%
15. Oregon: 60.7%
16. UCLA: 50.6%
17. Penn State: 50%
18. USC: 49.4%

Both the capacity percentage and the overall attendance averages bring into sharp relief that the Big Ten’s new West Coast schools struggled to draw this season.

Washington’s 11th place ranking in capacity percentage is the highest ranking any of the West Coast schools managed in either category. Washington has the third-smallest gym in the Big Ten as Alaska Airlines Arena seats 10,000.

Indiana’s highest-ever attendance average was 17,412 in the 2012-13 season. After renovations to Assembly Hall in the mid 2010s, capacity was reduced to 17,222.

Indiana has not ranked lower than fifth in the Big Ten in attendance since Assembly Hall opened for the 1971-72 season.