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Ohio State led the nation in overall attendance at men's basketball games (home and away) this season.

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Ohio State Led Nation in All Game Attendance in 2006-07

Nearly 750,000 people turned out to watch Buckeyes in person

May 25, 2007


COLUMBUS, Ohio-The Ohio State men's basketball team led the Big Ten Conference in average home attendance in 2006-07 and was the nation's top draw as well, according to statistics released by the NCAA Thursday.

The Buckeyes, 18-0 at Value City Arena in 2006-07, averaged 17,530 fans with a total of 315,539 through the doors during the ninth season of competition at the VCA, which opened for business for the 1998-99 season. The season 2006-07 home average rated No. 6 nationally.

A total of 747,457 fans in Columbus, on the road and at neutral sites watched the Buckeyes put together a record-setting season that produced 35 wins, regular-season and postseason Big Ten titles and a run to the national championship game in the annual NCAA tournament.

Ohio State increased its average attendance from 15,389 in 2005-06 to 17,530 in 2006-07, an increase of 2,141 fans per game. That average increase was the eighth-largest increase nationally over the last two years and the largest among Big Ten schools.

Since Value City Arena opened, Ohio State has ranked among the Top 10 in average national home attendance six times. The total home attendance figure this year is the second most behind the 317,939 recorded in 1999-00. An average of 16,420 fans over 148 total games have attended games at VCA.

In all game attendance, the nearly 750,000 fans that attended Ohio State games last season (home, away, neutral) marks the most ever to watch the Buckeyes in a single season. The previous record was 601,779 over 36 games in 1998-99. That total rated No. 2 nationally. In 294 games over the last nine years, an average of 15,698 fans have attended games involving the Buckeyes. Ohio State has been a Top 15 draw nationally in seven of those years and a Top 10 draw five times.
As a league, the Big Ten Conference averaged the most fans for the 31st-consecutive season and recorded a league record total of 2,564,662 fans over 201 games on league campuses. An average of 12,760 fans attended Big Ten games last year, which is an increase of 179 per game.