NCAA Division I men's basketball attendance 2023
While the players on the court might still be college students, the National Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball top division still draws in big crowds. The North Carolina men's basketball attracted the highest average attendance during the 2023 season. The team, traditionally known as the Tar Heels, had an average home audience of just under 20 thousand in 2023.
NCAA basketball attracts millions
The total paid attendance at NCAA college basketball tournament games reached the highest figure to date in 2013, when nearly 800,000 spectators paid to watch the games. This figure has seen a slight decrease in recent years, with the 2022 count standing at 684 thousand spectators. The Division I basketball tournament is commonly referred to as March Madness and takes the format of a single-elimination tournament between 68 teams. The high stakes nature of the games attract television viewers in their millions. Some 10 million viewers tuned in across the 2023 tournament, with almost 14.7 million fans glued to the gripping championship game in 2023 between Connecticut and San Diego State.
March Madness mainstays
The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team is one of the most successful Division I basketball sides in history, so it is no wonder that an average of almost 19.9 thousand fans flocked to their home games during the 2023 season. The Wildcats lead the association in terms of March Madness appearances – the team has played in a total of 59 tournaments – and has the second most number of NCAA basketball titles, eight as of 2023. The UCLA Bruins top this list, having taken home the title a record 11 times. The Los Angeles-based program achieved enormous success in the 1960s and 1970s, but their only title since that period came back in 1995. The Bruins reached the Final Four stage of the tournament for three years running between 2006 and 2008, as well as in 2021, but have been unable to recapture the success of times gone by.
