All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee basketball: Vols in top 10 in men’s, women’s basketball attendance

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 06: Tennessee Volunteers players react from the bench in the second half of a game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 6, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 76-65. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 06: Tennessee Volunteers players react from the bench in the second half of a game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 6, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 76-65. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee basketball had no trouble filling the stadium this year. The Volunteers and Lady Vols both made the Top 10 in attendance on the season.

Related Story: Final grades for men's Vols 2017-2018 season

The Vols athletic program had no trouble showing up for games this year. After once again reaching the Top 10 in football attendance despite a 4-8 season, Tennessee basketball reached the Top 10 in men’s and women’s basketball.

Rick Barnes’s work bringing back interest into the program got the men’s program to hold up its end, and that’s exactly what it did. The Vols finished No. 8 on the year in attendance.

According to Grant Ramey of GoVols247, Tennessee basketball averaged 16,210 fans per game this year at Thompson-Boling Arena, a jump from the 13,636 fans the previous year. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Lady Vols came in fourth in attendance with 8,778 fans per game.

As you can see with the tweet, Tennessee basketball came in second in the SEC on both sides in attendance. The jump for the men is highly impressive.

Of the seven teams that finished ahead of the Vols in basketball attendance, only the Wisconsin Badgers, Kansas Jayhawks and Creighton Bluejays did it while having smaller arenas to fill. Tennessee basketball’s arena can seat over 21,500 people.

However, you could make a case that it was actually disappointing for the women. Sure, the South Carolina Gamecocks and UConn Huskies are better at this moment. But South Carolina should never be ahead of them in attendance.

At the same time, the Iowa State Cyclones coming in third place is even a worse look. Tennessee basketball should never be outside of the Top 2 on the women’s side.

Still, the Vols joined the Louisville Cardinals as the only teams to be in the Top 10 on both sides. And Tennessee stands alone as the only team to be in the Top 10 in football, basketball and women’s basketball attendance.

Next: Lady Vols postseason awards

In football, according to the NCAA attendance reports, the Vols came in seventh in attendance, averaging 95,779 fans a game. Those numbers were also disappointing, but that’s understandable after the worst season in school history.

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