Is our attendance crumbling?

If we were the only school whose attendance was not doing great, then that would be cause for real concern, and our administration would really be to blame. But if college basketball in general is suffering from the same malady, then our attendance is not in crisis mode, but is a part of an overall problem for the sport. But the average team in 2013 pulled 1.4% less fans than the year before. The NCAA says 2012's average attendance was 5190, compared with 5524 in 2008. Everyone is suffering.

Consider if you were the AD at Georgia State, the regular season winner Belt winner last season. Your home attendance was 2059 last season, compared with 3141 for us, or roughly half again as much as the #1 team. Do you think he is wondering, "How can I get our attendance to be like Little Rock's?" Same for Arkansas State, averaging 2541.

Sure, we need to do better, and we can do better, and there really has been no excuse that things have not been better, and someone ought to bear the blame for that. But let us not stigmatize the administration as though our attendance is in free fall and no one else's is. That, at least, is not true.