IU INSIDER

Hoosiers 8th in national attendance

Zach Osterman
zach.osterman@indystar.com
Indiana finished second in the Big Ten in per-game attendance last season.

In a time when home attendance across college sports is sagging in the face of new challenges, Indiana has managed to keep Assembly Hall close to full.

That's born out in attendance figures released Monday by the NCAA, which rank the Hoosiers eighth nationally and second in the Big Ten behind Wisconsin. IU averaged 16,288 fans per game last season, according to the NCAA, which reported that, overall, more than 32.5 million fans attended men's college basketball games last season.

The Big Ten totaled 3,195,137 fans through the doors last season, the most of any conference.

Last season marked the fourth-consecutive year in which IU finished in the top 10 nationally in attendance, and the 37th in the last 43 seasons overall.

Assembly Hall is currently undergoing extensive renovation that, when completed, will give the building a new south entryway and luxury seating. It is not expected to significantly change the building's capacity.

Renovations are scheduled to be completed in advance of the 2016-17 season.

Follow Star reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.