Insights MBB

Finding 1

In two seasons, the five Power conferences went from capturing half of all D I attendance to capturing nearly 58%.

The five Power conferences, Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, ACC, and Big East, collectively drew 49.1% of all Division I conference attendance in 2022–23. By 2024–25, that share had grown to 57.9%. The gap between Power and non Power Division I men's basketball programs is large, and it is getting larger. The average Power conference drew 4.56 fans for every one fan at the average non Power conference game in 2024–25, up from 4.21× two seasons earlier.

Power conference share of all D I attendance

57.9%

Up from 49.1% in 2022–23, an 8.8 point swing in two seasons.

Power vs. non power ratio

4.56×

Avg. fans per game. Was 4.21× in 2022–23.

Power conf. avg. per game, 2024–25

10,363

Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, ACC, Big East, five conferences.

Non power conf. avg. per game, 2024–25

2,271

Down from 2,561 in 2022–23. The other 26 conferences.

What this means for your program: Non Power conferences collectively drew 290 fewer fans per game in 2024–25 than in 2022–23, even as the sport's top end grew. Every new fan the sport gains is increasingly likely to be sitting in a Power conference arena. For mid major ADs, this is not a crisis, but it is a structural headwind that should inform how you make the case for facility investment, scheduling upgrades, and fan experience improvements.

Finding 2

The Big Ten and SEC both expanded. One grew its per game average. The other didn't.

Both the Big Ten and SEC expanded during this window. Both grew their total attendance. But the Big Ten's per game average fell 1,226 fans, or 10.2%, over two seasons, while the SEC's rose 443, or 3.9%. The difference: the Big Ten added four programs whose draws fall below the conference's existing average. The SEC added Texas and Oklahoma, whose fan bases sustained the conference's upward trajectory. Adding teams is a trade off, and the attendance data shows exactly what that trade off looks like.

Big Ten, teams added

14 → 18 teams

Per game avg: 12,063 → 10,837

−1,226 per game (−10.2%)

Total attendance grew +505,210

SEC, teams added

14 → 16 teams

Per game avg: 11,344 → 11,787

+443 per game (+3.9%)

Total attendance grew +543,577

Realignment winners and losers, per game attendance change, 2022–23 to 2024–25

Gained Lost

Top 5 Gainers, fans per game added

SEC		+443 (+3.9%)
Big East		+301 (+3.0%)
Big South		+239 (+18.6%)
Mountain West		+224 (+3.4%)
Big West		+191 (+10.6%)

Top 5 Losers, fans per game lost

Big Ten		−1,226 (−10.2%)
ACC		−1,153 (−11.6%)
WCC		−826 (−24.7%)
OVC		−552 (−30.6%)
Big 12		−517 (−4.8%)

Bar length reflects fans per game gained or lost. The SEC gained the most fans per game (+443); the Big Ten lost the most (−1,226). Percentage change shown in parentheses.

Note on the ACC: The ACC's −11.6% decline over two seasons is the steepest among Power conferences and the second largest absolute drop in the dataset. This reflects both the departure of marquee programs and the attendance drag of expansion. For ADs whose internal investment arguments lean on conference average attendance as a benchmark, the ACC's downward trajectory has quietly changed the number they are arguing against.

Finding 3

Your conference tournament is punching above its weight, or it isn't.

Across 31 conferences, tournament games draw more fans than regular season games, but the degree varies enormously. The mid major and smaller conferences are generating the biggest proportional lifts, in some cases multiplying their regular season average several times over. That is not an accident. It reflects deliberate choices about venue, format, and how a conference treats its tournament as an event worth attending.

Power conf. avg. tournament lift

+44%

Tournament avg above regular season avg. Big East leads at +94%.

Mid major conf. avg. tournament lift

+61%

Mid majors outperform Power conferences on proportional lift.

Smaller conf. avg. tournament lift

+77%

The smallest conferences show the highest proportional spikes.

Conferences with negative lift

4

Sun Belt, CUSA, Big West, WAC draw less in tournaments than regular season, a challenge worth examining.

How conferences are grouped in this analysis

Power conferences
Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, ACC, Big East, avg. 8,000+ fans/game

High major conferences
Mountain West, Atlantic 10, avg. 4,000 to 7,999 fans/game

Mid major conferences
MVC, MAC, Sun Belt, and others, avg. 2,000 to 3,999 fans/game

Smaller conferences
MEAC, NEC, OVC, and others, avg. under 2,000 fans/game

Standout performers, and the four conferences with an actionable challenge

Conference	Reg. Season Avg	Tourn. Avg	Lift
MEAC Smaller	1,356	9,368	+591%
Summit League Mid Major	2,174	6,975	+221%
MAC Mid Major	2,584	8,078	+213%
NEC Smaller	638	1,478	+132%
SoCon Mid Major	2,184	4,714	+116%
Big East Power	10,208	19,812	+94%
Atlantic 10 High Major	4,291	8,123	+89%
SEC Power	11,787	16,499	+40%
Sun Belt Mid Major	2,785	1,922	−31%
CUSA Mid Major	2,925	2,313	−21%
Big West Smaller	1,991	1,732	−13%
WAC Mid Major	2,423	2,248	−7%

The venue effect: The MEAC's +591% lift and MAC's +213% are both driven by hosting tournaments at a single neutral site that concentrates fan energy into a genuine event. The Big East's +94% reflects its Madison Square Garden home, the most powerful venue advantage in the sport. For ADs in the four conferences with negative lift, the challenge is clear: your tournament format, location, or competitive intensity is not generating the event night energy your regular season does.

Finding 4

The direction of the swing matters more than the size.

Some conferences moved a little and kept moving the same way. Others lurched in one direction, then corrected, then lurched again. Three seasons is a short window, but it is long enough to see which conferences are drifting and which are building. A consistent direction, even a slow one, tells you more about where a conference is headed than a single large number.

Attendance consistency across all three seasons, 2022–23 through 2024–25

Biggest swings, watch these closely

ACC

9,949 → 10,172 → 8,796, sharp drop in 2024–25

±739 | −11.6% over 2 yrs

Big Ten

12,063 → 11,962 → 10,837, three straight declines

±681 | −10.2% over 2 yrs

WCC

3,349 → 2,219 → 2,523, lost a quarter of draw, partially recovered

±585 | −24.7% over 2 yrs

OVC

1,805 → 1,401 → 1,253, three straight declines, no recovery

±286 | −30.6% over 2 yrs

Most consistent, reliable demand season after season

Atlantic 10

4,354 → 4,270 → 4,291

±44, rock solid

WAC

2,485 → 2,361 → 2,423

±62, rock solid

SEC

11,344 → 11,633 → 11,787, three straight gains

±225, growing steadily

Sun Belt

2,754 → 2,945 → 2,785

±103, steady

The SEC vs. Big Ten contrast: Both expanded, both are Power conferences, and both grew total attendance. But the SEC has grown its per game average three seasons in a row while the Big Ten has declined three seasons in a row. Adding teams grows your conference's total footprint, but if incoming programs draw below the conference average, every AD in the league sees their benchmark number fall. That benchmark matters for recruiting conversations, media valuations, and the arguments ADs make for capital investment in facilities and fan experience.

Finding 5

Three patterns emerge consistently from the data, and all three have direct implications for how ADs make the case for investment.

To no one's surprise, the patterns below appear consistently across all 31 conferences in this dataset. But seeing them quantified in the same window, across every conference, in a period of maximum disruption, gives them sharper edges than conventional wisdom alone provides.

1

Schedule density reflects conference prestige, and signals it to recruits.

Conferences that play more games per team draw more fans per game, consistently across all tiers. This is not just because bigger conferences play more games. It reflects that high demand programs build a game night habit with their fan base, fill more home dates, and invest more in the scheduling and promotions that drive repeat attendance.

2

Expansion grows your conference's total number, not necessarily your per game draw.

The Big Ten added four programs and grew total attendance by 505,000. Its per game average fell 1,226. If an AD is making a facility investment argument based on conference average attendance, realignment may have quietly moved the goalposts. Understanding the difference between total conference footprint and per game draw is essential for building credible internal business cases.

3

Tournament format and venue drive tournament attendance, not conference tier.

Across 31 conferences, conference tier alone does not predict how much your tournament outdraws your regular season. What does predict it: whether your tournament is a genuine event, neutral site, concentrated format, tradition, or an afterthought. The MEAC, MAC, and Summit League all multiply their regular season average in tournament play. Four conferences draw less in tournament than in regular season games.

A note on three seasons of data: The patterns above are consistent and directionally reliable. But three seasons is a short window, and 2022–25 happens to be the most turbulent realignment period in college basketball history. Some of what looks like a trend may be transition noise. The most valuable additions for future analysis are NCAA Tournament bid rates per conference, to connect attendance with on court performance, and arena capacity data, to understand whether programs are filling seats or leaving them empty.

Power Is Concentrating. Expansion Is a Trade-Off. And Your Tournament Matters More Than You Think.