The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/90932
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL conference opponents posted sub- .500 records last year. "Our schedule it pretty ridicu- lous," Barnes Arico said. "It's excit- ing for our kids to have an oppor- tunity to play against some of the best competition in the country, and I think when you play in the Big Ten, you get that night in and night out. "But some of our non-league games are going to be incredible at- mospheres, against top teams in the country. It gives our kids a chance to challenge themselves." Just five of the Wolverines' 13 non- SEVEN TELEVISED CONTESTS For Michigan women's basketball fans that are unable to make it to Crisler Center this season, there will be several other ways to see the team in action. WOLVERINES TO PLAY Seven games will appear nation- ally on the Big Ten Network this year: • Dec. 20, 6 p.m. — Valparaiso at Michigan • Jan. 13, 2 p.m. — Wisconsin at Michigan • Jan. 21, 6:30 or 7:30 p.m. — Penn State at Michigan • Feb. 4, 6:30 or 7:30 p.m. — Michi- gan at Michigan State • Feb. 10, noon — Michigan at Purdue • Feb. 16, noon — Michigan State at Michigan • Feb. 24, 1 p.m. — Michigan at Penn State State, which had an average of 197 fans at their 16 home games. Last season, there were 195 teams across the country that averaged fewer than 1,000 fans per home game, as opposed to 146 programs that drew more than 1,000 per game. Conversely, just 16 programs aver- aged more than 5,000 fans per game, including two Big Ten teams: Purdue (7,805) and Michigan State (7,505). Just two teams brought in more than 10,000 fans per game: Tennessee (14,414) and Louisville (10,670). The Wolverines ranked No. 80 nationally in attendance, attracting 1,773 fans per game. That ranks 10th in the Big Ten, above only North- western (1,270) and Illinois (1,070). With the beautiful renovations to Crisler Center nearing completion, Michigan is committed to increasing that number as much as possible. "If you built it, they will come," Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico said. "Part of our responsibili- ties as a staff is to be available to the community as much as possible and to get out there as much as possible. We have been trying to do that. I was at the Michigan State clinic this past week; I went to the Ohio State clinic for high school coaches a few weeks ago. many different functions, from De- troit to Ann Arbor, just to spread the word of who we are, our vision, pas- sion and excitement for being at the University of Michigan. "A lot of that is about building rela- tionships, just like with the team. It's our job to connect with the fans, be- cause those people are really impor- tant to the success of our program." The community outreach will help, but Barnes Arico knows what, ulti- mately, will drive people to Crisler Center. "We have been trying to get out at "At the end of the day, the more successful you are, the more people you're going to have at the games," she said. "You're going to always have those loyal fans, but if you start winning, you'll get more and more people." u The BTN also has the option to televise the Wolverines' last two games of the regular season: Thurs- day, Feb. 28 versus Northwestern and Sunday, March 3 at Ohio State. There are 14 more games on the schedule that will be made available live on BTN.com. See MGoBlue.com for more details of on those games. U-M LOOKING TO GET MORE FANS IN THE STANDS ures between the highest and lowest women's college basketball teams is staggering. Tennessee, the No. 1 team in the country in attendance for women's basketball, had more than 200,000 fans come see them play last year, averaging a whopping 14,414 fans per home game. At the bottom of the Division I at- tendance list last season was Chicago The discrepancy in attendance fig- Senior forward Nya Jordan and the Wolverines played in front of an average home crowd of 1,773 fans last year, a figure that ranked No. 80 nationally. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL NOVEMBER 2012 THE WOLVERINE 85