USC ranks second-to-last in the Pac-12 in home attendance this seasonGetty Images
USC men's basketball is second in the Pac-12 standings and "one of the fastest-paced teams in the nation," but its on-campus arena "remains at least half empty most nights, seeing little spike amid its turnaround," according to Joey Kaufman of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. With a program-record 26 wins last season, USC "averaged 4,625 fans over 17 home games." Heading into Sunday's game against Cal, attendance had "dropped to 3,809." USC ranks "second-to-last in the Pac-12 in home attendance this season, ahead of only Washington State." USC’s basketball "resurgence remains well within football’s consuming shadow." USC CMO Craig Kelley estimated the school "sold about 500 new basketball season tickets in the offseason." In its season-opening win over Cal State-Fullerton in November, USC "drew 6,237 spectators, a season-high and the biggest crowd for a home opener" since '06. But it has since "struggled to re-create similar interest throughout a season that has seen ups and downs." USC officials said that the "number of no-shows has long been a significant factor for the program’s attendance woes, noting that many of them are Trojan Athletic Fund members who hold football and basketball season-tickets, but rarely show up for hoops" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 1/28).
WILD WILD WEST: In Salt Lake City, Jay Drew noted BYU and Arizona are in a "battle to have the best college basketball attendance" in the West. Heading into Saturday, BYU had "four regular-season home games remaining and ranked 18th nationally in attendance at 13,983 per game." That is about "500 fewer fans per game than last year." Arizona entered its home game against Utah on Saturday "averaging 14,339, 14th-best in the country and highest in the West" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 1/28).
