Attendance Worries at U.

The Utes are coming off a significant men’s basketball win over Michigan. Their prospects are looking up. They’re playing another nationally known team, Oklahoma, Saturday at the Huntsman Center.

But don’t expect it to be a big deal.

Few if any college basketball games at the U. are a big deal any more — at least if you look at the crowds.

I was surprised the crowd for the Michigan game, Wednesday, didn’t draw more than the reported 9,227. Btu that was actually the second-largest crowd of the year. Utah’s average attendance is 8,486, which goes along with a trend.

Granted, it’s the preseason, when people are still paying attention to football. But the decline is consistent. Utahs’ average has steadily dropped — with an occasional small bump — since the late 1990s. A look at the attendance figures:

1995-96: 14,281
1996-97: 14,047
1997-98: 13,818
1998-99: 13,987
1999-00: 13,248
2000-01: 12,236
2001-02: 11,890
2002-03: 11,518
2003-04: 10,901
2004-05: 10,777
2005-06: 10,481
2006-07: 9,522
2007-08: 9,979
2008-09: 9,916
2009-10: 8,486.

Athletics director Chris Hill has openly said he’s trying to find ways to boost attendance. It may take awhile, but it’s a step in the right direction to play teams like LSU, Michigan and Oklahoma.

If the Utes play well, and schedule interesting opponents that fans want to see, attendance should pick up. But after years of playing Stony Brook and Savannah State in the preseason, it will take awhile to bring ‘em back.