FHSU Sports Information Department
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball ranked third nationally in attendance for the second straight year as the official 2014-15 NCAA Division II basketball attendance numbers were released on Monday (July 6). FHSU averaged 2,656 fans per contest in 2014-15, the best among MIAA schools.
Fort Hays State heads six MIAA schools ranked in the top 15 of NCAA Division II and nine in the top 30. Central Missouri was right behind FHSU, ranked fourth at 2,647 fans per game. Nebraska-Kearney was also among the top 10 at 2,018 per game, while Missouri Southern (13th), Washburn (14th), and Emporia State (15th) were all in the top 15. The top two schools in attendance for 2014-15 are members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, Northern State on top at 3,402 per game and Augustana (S.D.) second at 2,697 per game.
The large crowds at Gross Memorial Coliseum once again created a home-court advantage helping the Tigers to a 13-3 record on their floor. The coliseum is annually one of the toughest venues on opponents as FHSU has a record of 323-51 since joining NCAA Division II, winning 86.4 percent of its games. The overall record for FHSU at the coliseum of 557-104 is equally as impressive, winning 84.3 percent of its games. The Tigers have reached at least 10 home wins in 37 of 42 seasons in the coliseum. FHSU has went undefeated at home four times in that span.
The Tigers won at least 12 games at home for the eighth-consecutive year, playing an average of 15 contests per year at home in that run. In the school’s 24-year NCAA Division II history, the Tigers have produced at least 11 wins at home in all but two seasons.
The Tigers helped the MIAA lead the nation once again in attendance as a conference. The average attendance at MIAA schools in 2014-15 was 1,514. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, also in the Central Region, was second at 1,169 fans per game.
NCAA Division II top 30 attendance figures for 2014-15 season