24/25 MBB Attendance Tracker

[wardly]

2 hours ago, NorthTexasSportsNetwork said:

You can't POSSIBLY expect a huge student turnout after the diasterclass that was put on against UTSA, biggest saturday student turnout in at least 2 years and they see a flop of a performance. Who cares about past success, you have to lower the expectations.

Lower to what? We are scraping the bottom of the barrel as it is.

[Matt from A700]

7 hours ago, wardly said:

        Five years is , in my opinion, ample time for the students to develop an interest in UNT basketball in particular and our sports in general. They don't support anything, and have not for decades.

Then maybe something should change with our admissions strategy. Don't defund our music, film, and art programs but can we target more high school kids that played sports or were active in student organizations? I guess most of these first-generation students we brag about are commuters, otherwise I'd think a lot of them would attend games for the experience.

And how are Greeks getting less and less involved? Why are RA's not encouraging more engagement with on-campus happenings? Why do we hire band directors who have no interest in bringing the Brigade to road football games?

[CMJ]

11 hours ago, meangreenfaninno said:

That may have been the worst trade in the history of mankind!

I'd say the Herschel Walker trade was the most lopsided trade in the history of mankind (I mean for the Cowboys it was awesome obviously).  The Vikings got absolutely taken to the cleaners then way more than the Mavericks just did.

Edited yesterday at 04:42 AM by CMJ

[NorthTexasWeLove]

8 hours ago, greenminer said:

Every year thousands of kids graduate from DFW high schools with zero insight into our history, and with them potential partners/immediate family.

I think we have an uphill battle, but I don't really buy into the cultural/historical excuses, maybe a little bit, but much moreso is a battle with technology and connectivity..  People, young and old, have hundreds of options to be entertained each and every weekend, nearly any hour of the day.  In cafes, in air-conditioned mancaves with 4 flatscreens hanging on the walls.  Over at their friend's Overwatch lan party with drinks of choice.

I dream of a S16 appearance.  It's sooo. hard, but we are one or two possible recruits away from making that leap.  And I know it would give our fanbase a jolt that is desperately needed.  Still need our AD to figure things out, too.

A S16 appearance, IMO, would change the culture of our school.  I can't overstate the media frenzy that surrounds a community that has a basketball team in it.  It is wild.  It would be bigger than any postseason win our football program has ever seen, and maybe we'd actually be a basketball school, and @NorthTexasWeLove could move on to his next bit.  Maybe #TripleOptionFootball

Hahaha, the triple option isn't my next bit... it's my current football bit. Makes too much sense for us. 

But, to your point, a s16 isn't changing anything. FAU got a f4 and they are soon back to the cellar. An infusion of real, legitimate, and palpable leadership is what it will take. Seems easy. But, no one seems to want to make North Texas great. 

[UNTLifer]

7 hours ago, NorthTexasSportsNetwork said:

You can't POSSIBLY expect a huge student turnout after the diasterclass that was put on against UTSA, biggest saturday student turnout in at least 2 years and they see a flop of a performance. Who cares about past success, you have to lower the expectations.

Sorry, but this is a terrible take.

[Salsa_Verde]

On 2/3/2025 at 12:31 PM, untjim1995 said:

Everyone is dead-on about marketing and promotion being terrible here, but think about what the locals are saying to you about how much they care about UNT hoops.

2019-2020--First in CUSA, season ends due to COVID

2020-2021--Win CUSA Tournament, beat Purdue in First Round of NCAA Tournament for first victory ever in that tournament.

2021-2022--Win CUSA Regular Season title, win first round game in NIT over Texas State, lose second round game at home to UVa by two points

2022-2023--finish behind Final Four Florida Atlantic for 2nd place, win the NIT

2023-2024--first year of Ross Hodge and in the American, still finish with a winning record and qualify for NIT, where you win at LSU, then lose at eventual NIT champion Seton Hall

2024-2025--surprise season where we are in 2nd place in the AAC, behind only ranked Memphis

And we are thrilled to no end because a crowd of just over 5000 show up for a game against an in-state rival in your 10k seat arena...posters here call it baby steps and this is because we don't let people know about the games at the Super Pit. My question is why doesn't the winning and the accomplishment do that heavy lifting on its own, to the point that marketing and promotions SHOULD be simple? I mean, seriously, what else does it take to get those students to care enough to show up? What else does it take to get local Denton and Denton County folks to show up? I'm not even counting alumni in the DFW counties that would (gasp) have to drive between 45-60 minutes to the game at the Super Pit? To me, that's the problem that I just don't see ever being overcome--I've been around since 1990 and this is what its basically been since then.

People only care about the NCAA tournament. Those are good accomplishments but not great. Beating Memphis consistently, going to the tournament consistently and making a run in it is what draws fans. NIT win and then a deep tournament run would have been better but North Texas didn’t do that. One NCAA tournament win all time? 

[Salsa_Verde]

12 hours ago, meangreenfaninno said:

We have had about 5 years of sustained success in basketball with Mac and Boss Hodge.   We have had a basketball program for a hundred years b4 that or whatnot.  How can you say in 5 years of SUSTAINED success we can overcome the past century of mediocrity? 

Thank you. 

[NorthTexasWeLove]

13 hours ago, Salsa_Verde said:

Thank you. 

Why are you thanking this? It's factually incorrect. In this century, modern basketball, UNT is over .500 and has had 19 winning season and/or .500 seasons in 24 attempts. That's competitive basketball. So, as for UNT alum, most people from 18-42 had a decent to good experience with UNT basketball. And that's just this century. There were other runs of success in the 20th century. 

Edited yesterday at 06:57 PM by NorthTexasWeLove

[ColoradoEagle]

23 hours ago, meangreenfaninno said:

AD's are usually running the business not marketing for tickets.

Marketing is part of the athletic department, which reports to the AD.

[97and03]

15 hours ago, Salsa_Verde said:

People only care about the NCAA tournament. Those are good accomplishments but not great. Beating Memphis consistently, going to the tournament consistently and making a run in it is what draws fans. NIT win and then a deep tournament run would have been better but North Texas didn’t do that. One NCAA tournament win all time? 

Exactly. No ranked teams either. NIT doesn’t move the needle. 

[untjim1995]

23 minutes ago, 97and03 said:

Exactly. No ranked teams either. NIT doesn’t move the needle. 

Nothing that can be refuted here. Its gonna take a lot more than what we have done to ever get to a point where we average over 5,000 in attendance regularly. Its just hard to understand why a school with so many kids and a town/county with tons of people around here just won't go watch them play. I did go to a TCU game the other night when they played WVU and that place was about half full, too, with just as many excuses as UNT has, so its not just us.

 

[UNTLifer]

6 minutes ago, untjim1995 said:

Nothing that can be refuted here. Its gonna take a lot more than what we have done to ever get to a point where we average over 5,000 in attendance regularly. Its just hard to understand why a school with so many kids and a town/county with tons of people around here just won't go watch them play. I did go to a TCU game the other night when they played WVU and that place was about half full, too, with just as many excuses as UNT has, so its not just us.

 

UNT doesn't put forth any effort to let people know when they are playing to the students or the community, and the community isn't searching for the information.  Right now, the AD and university should be capitalizing on the team's success but instead they are crapping the bed.  Denton, the campus and the surrounding areas should be continually inundated with information.

[untjim1995]

9 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

UNT doesn't put forth any effort to let people know when they are playing to the students or the community, and the community isn't searching for the information.  Right now, the AD and university should be capitalizing on the team's success but instead they are crapping the bed.  Denton, the campus and the surrounding areas should be continually inundated with information.

So why don't they do that? If its laziness, that seems like the AD, administration, and BOR would do something about it. If they don't/won't, doesn't that tell you EVERYTHING about the apathy we fight? If they want to move up, like Wren Baker did, it would seem like basketball attendance would be an easy thing to move upward to get the attention of bigger programs. 

[NorthTexasWeLove]

1 hour ago, untjim1995 said:

So why don't they do that? If its laziness, that seems like the AD, administration, and BOR would do something about it. If they don't/won't, doesn't that tell you EVERYTHING about the apathy we fight? If they want to move up, like Wren Baker did, it would seem like basketball attendance would be an easy thing to move upward to get the attention of bigger programs. 

The apathy is much higher than the athletic director. Our AD doesn't have to be a symptom, but I believe he chooses to be a symptom. 

[Salsa_Verde]

8 hours ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

Why are you thanking this? It's factually incorrect. In this century, modern basketball, UNT is over .500 and has had 19 winning season and/or .500 seasons in 24 attempts. That's competitive basketball. So, as for UNT alum, most people from 18-42 had a decent to good experience with UNT basketball. And that's just this century. There were other runs of success in the 20th century. 

Because he’s thinking logically. I want the Super Pit to be sold out too….but I’m not going to sit here and say we’ve had the kind of success that warrants that. I can’t remember the last time we beat a ranked team…13 out 70 years North Texas has won 20 or more games. Made our first tournament appearance in 1988 at 17-13 (won the conference tournament). Since 2000, winning record 15 out of 24 years. To be a top mid major you have to be better than that. That’s just the reality. 

[meangreenfaninno]

23 hours ago, CMJ said:

I'd say the Herschel Walker trade was the most lopsided trade in the history of mankind (I mean for the Cowboys it was awesome obviously).  The Vikings got absolutely taken to the cleaners then way more than the Mavericks just did.

Agreed probably should have specified basketball and you may have let me have a pass.

[NorthTexasWeLove]

1 hour ago, Salsa_Verde said:

Because he’s thinking logically. I want the Super Pit to be sold out too….but I’m not going to sit here and say we’ve had the kind of success that warrants that. I can’t remember the last time we beat a ranked team…13 out 70 years North Texas has won 20 or more games. Made our first tournament appearance in 1988 at 17-13 (won the conference tournament). Since 2000, winning record 15 out of 24 years. To be a top mid major you have to be better than that. That’s just the reality. 

Nothing to do with our poor attendance. It's the people at the top not prioritizing it. 

[untjim1995]

4 hours ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

The apathy is much higher than the athletic director. Our AD doesn't have to be a symptom, but I believe he chooses to be a symptom. 

It’s really, then, a statement about the BOR, President, and administration being apathetic…because it’s obvious that if they weren’t, the marketing and promotion would be better, the incentives to get better attendance would be shown via salary or bonuses to the AD and head basketball coaches. 
 

I’ve said this forever it seems, but you cannot want to win more than the people in charge of the program. Because they will always let you down while you’re thinking bigger and better than they do about the program.

[CMJ]

Everyone keeps saying they can't remember when we beat a ranked team. Purdue was ranked.

[97and03]

6 hours ago, CMJ said:

Everyone keeps saying they can't remember when we beat a ranked team. Purdue was ranked.

My post was somewhat vague, but I was referring to us being ranked. But beating a ranked team once in a blue moon ain’t moving the needle either. 

[MeanGreenZen]

The student attendance at the Tulane game was EMBARRASSING.

There is a small group of loud, passionate Maniacs who sit close to the opposing bench, but other than that… I bet there were less than 100 regular students (those not in the band or cheerleaders, etc).

No Greek presence. I’m telling you, if the AD emphasized Greek attendance and could get that going it would make a huge impact. 

[meangreenfaninno]

3 hours ago, MeanGreenZen said:

The student attendance at the Tulane game was EMBARRASSING.

There is a small group of loud, passionate Maniacs who sit close to the opposing bench, but other than that… I bet there were less than 100 regular students (those not in the band or cheerleaders, etc).

No Greek presence. I’m telling you, if the AD emphasized Greek attendance and could get that going it would make a huge impact. 

I think the greeks are doing spring rush right now for what it is worth. 

[greenminer]

On 2/10/2025 at 8:58 PM, CMJ said:

I'd say the Herschel Walker trade was the most lopsided trade in the history of mankind (I mean for the Cowboys it was awesome obviously).  The Vikings got absolutely taken to the cleaners then way more than the Mavericks just did.

Nico has put himself on the list for most hated people in DFW sports history.

[UNTLifer]

2 hours ago, meangreenfaninno said:

I think the greeks are doing spring rush right now for what it is worth. 

Great.  One of their events during this week should be attending a game.

[Salsa_Verde]

12 hours ago, CMJ said:

Everyone keeps saying they can't remember when we beat a ranked team. Purdue was ranked.

I was thinking more in season…but yeah that’s fair.