July 25, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Following its 2006 National Championship title win, the Maryland women's basketball team experienced a boom in fan support, recording the largest increase in average attendance from the previous season in 2006-07, the NCAA recently announced, averaging more than 4,720 per game compared to 2005-06. The Terps also ranked sixth in the country in average home attendance (9,533) and were fourth in overall attendance (241,280).
"I'm really proud of how our team has connected with the community," said head coach Brenda Frese. "There are so many options for the people in this community to do, and the way our fans continue to support us is part of the reason why I think this is the best place to play in the country."
Maryland set several attendance records, posting the first and second women's basketball sellouts in Comcast Center, also the second and third in the history of the program, respectively. The games vs. Duke, which was a rematch of the 2006 National Championship game, was sold out over a month before the scheduled contest of Feb. 18. The following day, the Terps' matchup against North Carolina was sold out.
When the Tar Heels visited Maryland on Jan. 28, the Terps broke the ACC's single-game women's basketball record as 17,950 fans filled the seats of Comcast Center. The mark was tied in the game vs. the Blue Devils in the final home game of the season on Feb. 18. Maryland's first-ever women's basketball sellout was on Feb. 12, 1992, when it hosted Virginia in Cole Field House. It currently stands as the fifth-best attended women's basketball game in the history of the league.
Maryland posted four of the ACC's top women's basketball attendances in history during the 2006-07 campaign. Over 11,100 fans were in the stands to support the team vs. long-time rival Virginia on Jan. 19. Two days later, over 10,500 fans were in attendance for the game vs. Wake Forest.
Maryland also drew nearly 12,300 people for its game vs. Michigan State on Jan. 6, which would have ranked among the ACC's top 10 attendances of all-time, as well. The Terps claim the top six all-time best women's basketball attendances in the conference and eight of the top 10.
For the season, more than 150,000 supporters walked through the turnstiles of Comcast Center, with the 100,000th fan coming through for the game against UNC, the first sellout of the season. The just-under 10,000 fans per home game is, by far, a school record, nearly doubling the previous record, which was set in 2005-06 (4,813).
During the 2005-06 season, 241,280 spectators watched the Terps play at home, on the road and at neutral sites, the most for any ACC team and behind only Tennessee (426,191), Connecticut (304,038) and Oklahoma (243,963). The Terps played in front of 10,000+ fans on nine different occasions during the season. Maryland also ranked in the top 10 in total attendance in 2005-06 with 211,612 spectators witnessing the Terps play.
Maryland's attendances marks have been on the rise since 2000-01. The Terps cracked the top 50 in average attendance in Frese's second season in 2003-04, averaging 2,051 at home games, which ranked 45th. In 2004-05 and 2005-06, the Terps were just out of the top 20, ranking 23rd (4,149) and 21st (4,169), respectively.
The Terps have outdrawn every team in the ACC, with Duke coming in second with 5,852 per game. Maryland drew more fans in one game vs. North Carolina than Georgia Tech and Miami had all season. The combined attendances of both sellouts were more than the total attendance at Boston College, Clemson and Florida State.
Maryland tips off the 2007-08 season hosting the Preseason WNIT on Friday, Nov. 9 against Princeton. Season tickets, which includes tickets for the Preseason WNIT, are available for purchase at www.umterps.com or by calling the Comcast Center Ticket Office at 1-800-IM-A-TERP.
2006-07 Division I Women's Basketball Attendances
Largest Increase From Previous Year
| Rank | School | '07 Games | Avg. | '06 Avg. | Change in Avg. |
| 1 | MARYLAND | 16 | 9,533 | 4,813 | 4,720 |
| 2 | Wyoming | 17 | 4,638 | 1,699 | 2,939 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 12 | 10,437 | 7,630 | 2,807 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh | 14 | 4,008 | 1,558 | 2,450 |
| 5 | Dayton | 11 | 3,190 | 1,604 | 1,586 |
| 6 | Middle Tenn. | 15 | 4,157 | 2,699 | 1,458 |
| 7 | Cincinnati | 16 | 1,851 | 459 | 1,392 |
| 8 | Arizona State | 16 | 3,502 | 2,137 | 1,365 |
| 9 | Iowa State | 16 | 8,906 | 7,667 | 1,239 |
| 10 | South Florida | 19 | 1,818 | 626 | 1,192 |
Attendance Leaders
| Rank | School | G | Attendance | Avg. |
| 1 | Tennessee | 16 | 234,845 | 14,678 |
| 2 | Connecticut | 22 | 237,642 | 10,802 |
| 3 | Texas Tech | 14 | 149,351 | 10,668 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 12 | 125,247 | 10,437 |
| 5 | New Mexico | 15 | 143,729 | 9,582 |
| 6 | MARYLAND | 16 | 152,523 | 9,533 |
| 7 | Iowa State | 16 | 142,498 | 8,906 |
| 8 | Purdue | 14 | 106,184 | 7,585 |
| 9 | Michigan State | 18 | 115,001 | 6,389 |
| 10 | Notre Dame | 16 | 101,818 | 6,364 |
| 11 | Baylor | 19 | 119,603 | 6,295 |
| 12 | Minnesota | 17 | 101,030 | 5,943 |
| 13 | Duke | 14 | 81,921 | 5,852 |
| 14 | Kentucky | 15 | 86,941 | 5,796 |
| 15 | Penn State | 13 | 75,102 | 5,777 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | 20 | 114,406 | 5,720 |
| 17 | LSU | 15 | 83,593 | 5,573 |
| 18 | Missouri State | 15 | 81,286 | 5,419 |
| 19 | Texas | 18 | 90,783 | 5,044 |
| 20 | Ohio State | 17 | 85,011 | 5,001 |
| 21 | North Carolina | 18 | 86,678 | 4,815 |
| 22 | Wyoming | 17 | 78,847 | 4,638 |
| 23 | Vanderbilt | 16 | 72,215 | 4,513 |
| 24 | Georgia | 13 | 58,311 | 4,485 |
| 25 | Texas A&M | 16 | 71,066 | 4,442 |
Overall Attendance (All Games - Home, Road, Neutral)
| Rank | School | G | Attendance |
| 1 | Tennessee | 37 | 426,191 |
| 2 | Connecticut | 36 | 304,038 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 33 | 243,963 |
| 4 | MARYLAND | 34 | 241,280 |
| 5 | Iowa State | 35 | 240,296 |
| 6 | Texas Tech | 31 | 211,782 |
| 7 | North Carolina | 38 | 211,469 |
| 8 | Purdue | 37 | 207,793 |
| 9 | New Mexico | 33 | 204,999 |
| 10 | Baylor | 34 | 200,139 |
MARYLAND'S ALL-TIME HOME ATTENDANCE
Year Games Total Avg. Ranking
2006-07 16 152,523 9,533 6th
2005-06 16 77,010 4,183 21st
2004-05 16 62,542 4,169 23rd
2003-04 15 38,759 2,584 45th
2002-03 14 24,612 2,051 53rd
2001-02 15 25,200 1,681 70th
2000-01 17 21,870 1,286 93rd
1999-00 14 19,701 1,407 82nd
1998-99 15 19,401 1,293 81st
1997-98 13 14,873 1,144 85th
1996-97 13 20,124 1,342
1995-96 13 15,301 1,177 60th
1994-95 16 13,334 833
1993-94 13 17,541 1,349
1992-93 15 32,708 2,181
1991-92 14 35,592 2,542
1990-91 13 11,385 876
1989-90 15 14,083 939
1988-89 13 13,704 1,054
1987-88 13 9,069 698
-TERPS-
