LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- In a season in which head coach Pat Kelsey directed a 237.5% increase in total wins for the University of Louisville men's basketball team, the results showed in another essential metric:
The Cardinals climbed from No. 28 to No. 15 in average attendance in Division I basketball.
Average attendance jumped 29.2% from 11,504 in 2024 to 14,864 this season as Kelsey's team finished 27-8, winning 14 of 17 home games.
Louisville ended its season with an attendance buzz, drawing two of the program's three largest crowds in the final eight days of the regular season: 18,459 against Pittsburgh on March 1 and 18,707 against Stanford on March 8.
Overall attendance improved from 207,067 to 252,581, a bump of 22%, though the Cards played one fewer home game this season.
The 14,864 per-game average was the program's best since 2020, when the Cards finished seventh nationally with an average of 16,638.
Here are Louisville's coach, season average and national ranking for the last 10 full seasons, excluding 2021 when crowds were limited by COVID-19 regulations:
- 2025, Pat Kelsey: 14,864, No. 15
- 2024, Kenny Payne: 11,504, No, 28
- 2023, Kenny Payne: 12,497, No. 23
- 2022, Chris Mack: 13,242, No. 21
- 2020, Chris Mack: 16,638, No. 7
- 2019, Chris Mack: 15,748, No. 8
- 2018, David Padgett: 16,883, No. 6
- 2017, Rick Pitino: 20,846, No. 3
- 2016, Rick Pitino: 20,860, No. 2
- 2015, Rick Pitino: 21,386, No. 3
More Attendance Numbers to Celebrate
How did Kentucky fans embrace the first season of the Mark Pope era in Rupp Arena? The Wildcats' average attendance improved by 406 fans per game to a full season average of 20,334 for 18 home dates.
Kentucky finished second to North Carolina (20,521) in average home attendance while leading the nation in total attendance. The Wildcats announced a full season attendance of 366,007, an average capacity of 99.2%.
UK's per game number was the program's best since 2019, when the Wildcats averaged 21,695.
Indiana finished seventh nationally in average home attendance but first in the Big Ten, at 16,447. That was a drop of 21 fans per game from last season.
IU lists capacity at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall at 17,222. The last time the Hoosiers averaged better than 17,000 was 2016 when Tom Crean won his second Big Ten regular-season title.
With a new coach, Darian DeVries, likely to embrace modern basketball trends of emphasizing the three-point shot, IU should enjoy a first-year bump as U of L and UK did this season.
Over the last 10 seasons, no program has earned the average home attendance crown for more than three consecutive seasons, although North Carolina is in position to change that narrative next winter.
Here are the last 10 Division I attendance per game leaders:
- 2025, North Carolina, 20,521
- 2024, UNC, 20,593
- 2023, UNC, 19,890
- 2022, Syracuse, 20,017
- 2020, Syracuse 21,704
- 2019, Syracuse, 21,992
- 2018, UK, 21,875
- 2017, UK, 23,462
- 2016, UK, 23,362
- 2015, Syracuse, 23,854
Finally, one more lesson delivered by the teams that made the 2025 NCAA Final Four: You do not have to play in a mammoth home arena to celebrate a dominant team.
None of the four teams that competed in San Antonio ranked in the top 40 in average attendance.
There is a reason for that: None play in a facility with a capacity of more than 10,151.
Florida, the national champs, led the group with an average attendance of 10,039, filling 98.9% of its seats. The Gators ranked 41st in average attendance.
The three other squads — Duke (No. 43, 9,134 average), Auburn (No. 45, 9121) and runner-up Houston (7,084, No. 67) — all played at capacity or above in Houston's case.
Get this: Five teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference, eight from the Southeastern Conference and nine from the Big Ten averaged more home fans than every program at the Final Four.
College Basketball Coverage:
'Let's run it back!' | Hadley says he'll stay with Louisville basketball for next season
Louisville No. 21, Kentucky No. 12 in final AP men's college basketball Top 25
BOZICH | The NCAA Tournament can crumble any coach's reputation; Ask Sampson, Scheyer
ESPN's 'way too early' Top 25 for next season lists Louisville at No. 3, Kentucky No. 6
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