Over the past four decades, ASU has averaged 9,000 home fans during a season just four timesTWITTER
Arizona State paid $10,000 in late December to remove a wall in the upper rows of Wells Fargo Arena to allow for more fans, and attendance now is "on pace for the highest mark in school history," according to Doug Haller of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. Entering Thursday's home contest against USC, ASU was averaging 9,665 fans, which ranks "third in the Pac-12." In four Pac-12 contests, ASU is "averaging home crowds of 13,158," with the conference's "two biggest draws -- rival Arizona and UCLA -- yet to come." The wall was originally intended to "create more of an intimate atmosphere," but it really was there because ASU "couldn’t attract big crowds." ASU Senior Associate AD Dave Cohen said of removing the wall, "We wanted it to be the right timing because if you take it down, it’s not just opening up 1,000 seats, it’s opening up 4,000." Over the past four decades, ASU basketball has "averaged 9,000 home fans during a season just four times." Haller noted this is "rare territory for a program that has struggled in a pro-sports market, one that has made just three NCAA Tournaments" since '00. This season, basketball attendance is a "challenge throughout the Pac-12." Entering Wednesday, the conference had "just two schools -- Arizona and Utah -- averaging 10,000-plus for home games." The Big Ten has 11 "over that number," and the SEC has six (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/8).
