Big Ten Leads Conferences in Attendance

Donate To GopherHole
WinMinGophers!

WinMinGophers!

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2026
Messages
320
Reaction score
257
Points
63
For the 2024-25 season (as of early Jan 2025), the Big Ten led all Division I conferences in women’s basketball attendance, with 13 schools in the top 50 nationally.

Key 2024-25 Attendance Figures (Approx. Avg Per Game):
  • Iowa: 14,998
  • Indiana: 10,412
  • Maryland: 8,113
  • Ohio State: 5,433
  • Nebraska: 5,085
  • UCLA: 5,051
  • Oregon: 5,048
  • Illinois: 4,889
  • USC: 4,873
Contextual Data:
  • Conference Strength: Nine Big Ten schools rank among the top 25 in the nation for attendance.
  • Tournament Record: The 2024 Big Ten Tournament set a new record with 129,512 total spectators, more than double the previous record.
  • Historic Viewership: The 2023-24 Ohio State-Iowa matchup averaged 1.93 million viewers, the most-watched regular-season women's game since 2010.
For the 2025-26 season (as of mid-February 2026), the Minnesota Golden Gophers women's basketball team has recorded the following attendance figures:
  • Total Home Attendance: 48,540 through 13 home games.
  • Average Home Attendance: Approximately 3,734 fans per game.
 

Not sure how Gopher attendance compares to previous years but that seams bad considering the team is playing better than recent years.
 

Attendance is still lagging, but guessing Ohio State and MSU games will show up an uptick. But history shows the potential is there. Until the recent Iowa-Indiana attendance boomlet with Caitlin Clark and Mackenzie Holmes, the Gophers 2003-04 season (avg. 9,703) was the 3rd highest average attendance season in the BIG. It's still the 8th highest average season attendance in the BIG, though will move down at least 1 spot after this year.
 

An NCAA tournament season will help a lot. I suspect attendance will increase some for the remaining home games.

Next year's team could be good if the team sticks together and the freshmam guards contribute right away. They need the PG to be able to at least run the offense, break a press, and hit an open shot.
 

I've been going to games. The crowd is older, very few younger people or youth players. Weekends are better. Very few families driving in. A few adults to the younger side but overwhelmingly holdovers from Whalen player era, from even before that, and then Pam Borton era. The Whalen coach era brought in a huge surge initially that went away and then went way, way down.

There can be several reasons for parents and kids not driving in for games, not feeling connected to University of Minnesota Women's Basketball.

I admit I gave up my WBB season tickets and now pick up singles. I do have other Gophers season tickets.

Coach P inherited the low attendance from Whalen. I think this new coach can turn this around.

Like TruthSeeker said, an NCAA tournament run will help.
 


One or two non-conference home games against solid top twenty programs would help. Also, why not play games against regional teams such as Iowa State, Marquette, and South Dakota State, or even St. Thomas. They'd attract some of their own fans to the Barn. Coach P. has improved the program to the point where we shouldn't just be playing the little sisters of the poor during the non-conference part of the schedule.
 

BBJones said:
One or two non-conference home games against solid top twenty programs would help. Also, why not play games against regional teams such as Iowa State, Marquette, and South Dakota State, or even St. Thomas. They'd attract some of their own fans to the Barn. Coach P. has improved the program to the point where we shouldn't just be playing the little sisters of the poor during the non-conference part of the schedule.
Click to expand...
That's my thing. I've attended for 25 years, never a subscriber but always going to 10 or more games a season. Those scrubs games may help NET but they suck for FANS.
 


adamj95 said:
Topic aside, can we please stop using obvious AI/chatGPT to create posts? It’s really getting old. If you want to discuss something, can’t we use our brains to type out our thoughts?
Click to expand...

No. Go back to the morgue and the lifeless interest in WBB.

Go look at the Football site with heavy interaction. It's posting all kinds of articles from the world of sports and directly related to the program too.

Put me on ignore, crank from the morgue, and don't read any more of my posts. The answer is no -- although I have to keep them brief. I did post a long one elsewhere I deserved a hand slap.

Why are you reading my thread?

Put me on ignore.


1771088526725.png
 
Last edited:



WinMinGophers! said:
No. Go back to the morgue and the lifeless interest in WBB.

Go look at the Football site with heavy interaction. It's posting all kinds of articles from the world of sports and directly related to the program too.

Put me on ignore, crank from the morgue, and don't read any more of my posts. The answer is no -- although I have to keep them brief. I did post a long one elsewhere I deserved a hand slap.

Why are you reading my thread?

Put me on ignore.


View attachment 42382
Click to expand...
Seems i've touched a nerve. Guess I'd rather not read AI slop but that's just me.
 

WinMinGophers! said:
I've been going to games. The crowd is older, very few younger people or youth players. Weekends are better. Very few families driving in. A few adults to the younger side but overwhelmingly holdovers from Whalen player era, from even before that, and then Pam Borton era. The Whalen coach era brought in a huge surge initially that went away and then went way, way down.

There can be several reasons for parents and kids not driving in for games, not feeling connected to University of Minnesota Women's Basketball.

I admit I gave up my WBB season tickets and now pick up singles. I do have other Gophers season tickets.

Coach P inherited the low attendance from Whalen. I think this new coach can turn this around.

Like TruthSeeker said, an NCAA tournament run will help.
Click to expand...
The first paragraph hits the nail on the head, and we've had season tickets since Pam's first season. The women's basketball fan base has tended old since the beginning of the Borton days if not longer. Week night games get harder for that group to attend...not liking to drive at night, etc. Many more youth sports events to compete with games.

And, the events of the last two months maybe have discouraged folks from getting out, too.

Nonetheless, it is the BEST deal in town - $150 for a season ticket. Folks are missing out on a lot of fun!!
 
Last edited:

There are always excuses for not going to any Gopher Athletic event, but it all boils down to a lack of desire.
 

Whytetale said:
There are always excuses for not going to any Gopher Athletic event, but it all boils down to a lack of desire.
Click to expand...
So what you're saying is, the bronchial pneumonia I've been dealing with the past 6 months doesn't meet your high standard.
 




You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom