This is exactly why there has been so much fan apathy in the past 4+ years. Ever since covid, the buzz/marketing around NDSU basketball has completely died.
Look back at the average attendance per game going back to the BSA days:
Home Attendance Per Game
2023-2024: 1,562
(7-13) (3 Non-D1 games)
2022-2023: 1,953
(14-17)
2021-2022: 1,913
(21-10)
2020-2021: 1,519
(15-12) (Covid restrictions)
2019-2020: 2,676
(23-8)
2018-2019: 2,231
(17-16)
2017-2018: 2,757
(12-17) (3 Non-D1 games)
2016-2017: 3,833
(17-11) (First year at the SHAC)
2015-2016: 2,779
(18-13)
2014-2015: 2,512
(21-10)
2013-2014: 3,308
(23-7) (3 Non-D1 games) (Last year at the BSA)
2012-2013: 2,906
(22-10)
2011-2012: 3,156
(15-14)
2010-2011: 3,305
(12-15)
2009-2010: 2,792
(9-18)
2008-2009: 3,596
(24-7)
2007-2008: 3,034
(14-13)
NDSU's record against D1 teams each year are in
(bold).
It isn't hard to find when the attendance starting falling off.
- Average attendance Pre-Covid was around 2,870 per game.
- Average attendance Post-Covid has been around 1,730 per game.
Over 1,100 less per game is a huge drop off, yet NDSU's administration seems to have done nothing about this for over 4 YEARS...
There is no way that they haven't noticed this, so the only other answer is what McFeely said in his article: "They don't really seem to care, honestly."
And that is a very damning indictment of the NDSU athletics department under Matt Larsen..