Indianapolis, Ind. — For the fifth-straight year, both the Missouri Southern men’s and women’s basketball teams ranked in the top-20 of NCAA Division II in attendance figures as the organization announced the numbers for the 2018-19 season this week.
The Southern men ranked 10th nationally, while the women were 20th. Last season, the Southern men were 14th while the women ranked 18th.
The men were the fourth-highest ranking team in the MIAA as Fort Hays was third, followed by Central Missouri in sixth and Washburn in ninth. The league, as a whole, had six teams in the top-12, as well as nine in the top-21.
On the women’s side, the Lions had the eighth-highest attendance in the MIAA. Fort Hays State ranked second nationally, followed by Pittsburg State (5th), Emporia State (6th), Central Missouri (7th), Washburn (8th), Missouri Western (13th) Nebraska-Kearney (16th) and the Lions at 20th, giving the league eight teams in the top 20.
The Southern men saw 21,889 fans at their home games inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center this season, averaging 1,684 per game, while the women saw 14,440 for an average of 963 per contest.
The MIAA, once again, led Division II in attendance in both genders. It is the 11th year in a row the league has won the basketball attendance crown as an average of 1,283 fans came for men’s games and 1,053 came for women’s contests this past season.
