INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — In his final year as the head coach of the Augustana men's basketball program, Grey Giovanine once again had the Vikings in the top 10 of the NCAA Division III attendance figures. The NCAA has released its attendance figures for the 2019-20 men's basketball season, with Augustana's average of 897 fans per game ranking 10
th among more than 400 programs at the NCAA Division III level. The Vikings, who finished 18-8, drew a total of 12,555 in 14 home dates.
Hope led the nation in attendance with an average of 2,214 in 12 home dates. This is the 18
th straight year that the Flying Dutch have been atop the national rankings. Wittenberg was second with an average of 1,392. Augustana was just eight fans per game behind ninth place Whitworth (905 per game) and ended up 55 per game in front of 11
th place Mount Union.
The Vikings were the top team in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin with Wheaton being the next league club with a 19
th place figure of 733 per game. Augustana was also the top NCAA Division III school in both Illinois and Iowa on the list. Grinnell was the highest Iowa college in the ranking as the Pioneers were 21
st at 653. There were 416 teams in NCAA Division III this past basketball season.
Coach Grey Giovanine's club outdrew 36 NCAA Division I schools, including in-state Western Illinois and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.
The Vikings' home average was almost three times that of the Division III average (327) and nearly double the Division II average 583.
Four times during the 2019-20 season Augustana topped 1,000 fans at home with the high-water mark coming on November 9 when 1,623 turned out for the season opener against then-defending NCAA champion Wisconsin-Oshkosh. On December 7 a total of 1,476 piled into the Carver Center to watch the Vikings defeat Carroll in overtime 65-63. The other dates over the 1,000 mark were November 15 against Alma (1,081) and February 22 against North Park (1,407).
Augustana was 11-4 in the friendly confines of the Carver Center last winter and overall the Vikings are 518-122 (.809) in the building, which opened prior to the 1971-72 season. In CCIW play all-time the Blue & Gold is 288-80 (.783).
NCAA DIVISION III TOP TEN IN HOME ATTENDANCE
| Rank |
Team |
Dates |
Attendance |
Avg. |
| 1. |
Hope |
12 |
26,571 |
2,214 |
| 2. |
Wittenberg |
18 |
25,053 |
1,392 |
| 3. |
Wooster |
16 |
20,162 |
1,260 |
| 4. |
Marietta |
13 |
16,245 |
1,250 |
| 5. |
Calvin |
11 |
13,705 |
1,246 |
| 6. |
Wisconsin-Stevens Point |
11 |
12,066 |
1,097 |
| 7. |
Randolph-Macon |
13 |
12,356 |
950 |
| 8. |
St. John's (Minn.) |
14 |
12,693 |
907 |
| 9. |
Whitworth |
15 |
13,579 |
905 |
| 10. |
AUGUSTANA |
14 |
12,555 |
897 |
