Taking a Closer Look at Attendance

FAYETTEVILLE - As we mentioned last night, the crowds for Arkansas’ basketball games have been dreadful early on this season.

The Razorbacks have averaged just more than 6,000 fans in their first two games, easily the worst numbers ever to begin the year at Bud Walton Arena. Monday’s attendance was the second lowest recorded in the arena’s history. By comparison, the Arkansas baseball team drew an average of 5,400 in its first two games of last year.

So where does the blame fall?

It obviously begins with the product on the floor, where the Razorbacks have endured back-to-back losing seasons. But it shouldn’t end there.

A big part of any revenue producing sport is the preseason buzz, of which there was little to none for the men’s basketball program this year. Midnight Madness was once a staple of Arkansas’ program, but that hasn’t happened in years. Instead, the Razorbacks first practice happens early in the evening behind closed doors.

The Red-White game was also once a big draw. Now the “game” is really a 20-minute scrimmage with a running clock. In recent years, coaches have had to suit up in order to field rosters because of the large number of suspensions and injuries.

Accessibility to a weak schedule doesn’t help either. Arkansas plays one weekend nonconference game at Bud Walton Arena this season – against Troy.

The Razorbacks will play nine nonconference games on weeknights and will play one of its home games at North Little Rock’s Verizon Arena this Friday. The most appealing game – against Oklahoma – falls on a Wednesday.

When students break for Christmas, the Razorbacks will stay behind to play Mississippi Valley State, Texas Southern, North Carolina A&T and Texas-Arlington, likely to a mostly empty arena.

And in this economy ticket prices are certainly a factor. Tickets for nonconference games against Florida Gulf Coast and Southeast Missouri State cost the same as conference dates against Kentucky and Tennessee. In football, nonconference games are cheaper at home than SEC contests.

One can’t help but to think back to a few years ago when the Razorbacks football team was coming off back-to-back losing seasons. Arkansas opened the 2006 campaign to excitement generated in the preseason with a top recruiting class, spring game televised on national TV and season opener against Southern Cal in Fayetteville. The stadium attendance record was set that night and didn’t fall until this year.

There wasn’t much expected of that team, which ended up winning the SEC West. But hope and optimism was abound before the year, as is often the case in most sports.

That once was the case with Arkansas basketball, but instead apathy has taken precedence with most now. Several have already written off this season just two games in, electing to turn their focus to a top-flight recruiting class that will arrive on campus next summer. Those young men will come with high hopes and higher expectations.

Once football ends and basketball becomes the only game in town, we’ll likely see a few more fill the seats and there might even be a sellout or two before it’s all said and done. Until then, we’re left with thoughts of what could be and memories of what once was.

For more visit WholeHogSports.com. You can follow Matt Jones on Twitter @NWAMatt.