Reviewing the Ryan Center's Attendance for the 2017-2018 Rhode Island MBB Season
The 2017-2018 men's college basketball season began with 6,367 fans filling up the Ryan Center to see if the hype for the Rhode Island Rams was real when they played against UNC-Asheville. Outside of the home games versus MAAC preseason favorite Iona and lowly Holy Cross, La Salle, and Brown, no game has had an attendance total of less than 5,347 fans in the Ryan Center. For a facility that was made to pack in up to 7,657 people into the seats, that is a respectable statistic. Fittingly though, the home crowd (4,381 fans) helped Rhode Island's men's college basketball team pull through late versus Iona in an 80-74 victory. Meanwhile, the fans were not necessarily needed to help their favorite team beat the likes of Holy Cross (4,309 fans), La Salle (4,549 fans), and Brown (4,485 fans).
Most importantly, in big games against strong opponents, the Rhode Island faithful has showed out. For instance, in the Ocean State's annual rivalry game versus Providence College, an attendance of 7,959 fans was reported. The sellout crowd was finally rewarded with a Rhode Island victory in the series after they watched the Rams lose to the Friars in seven straight previous contests. After their road loss at Alabama on December 6, 2017, Rhode Island MBB has yet to lose and their strong home crowd has been a considerable reason for their winning streak.
In another pivotal non-conference game in the Ryan Center, URI needed their fans to rally back and prevail over CAA favorite, Charleston. Without the 5,761 Rhode Island fans to keep their team in the game, the Cougars looked well on their way to winning the game. In the two following home games versus Florida Gulf Coast (5,347 fans) and George Mason (6,383 fans), the home crowd was able to enjoy two relatively easy wins.
Even with University of Rhode Island students on winter break, the Rhode Island fan base still showed up when it needed to. In a matchup with the Saint Bonaventure Bonnies, who were supposed to challenge for the top of the Atlantic 10 standings, 7,082 people packed the Ryan Center. After the halfway point of the first half of the Atlantic 10 battle, the crowd was able to watch their team take over and win the game with ease, 87-73. By this point, the home crowd had to know that there was something special about the 2017-2018 Rhode Island Rams. In the last home game before students returned from winter break, a modest home crowd of 5,583 fans witnessed the Rams beat one of their Atlantic 10 rivals, the Massachusetts Minutemen.
Since the URI students have come back to campus for their spring semester, the Ryan Center has been rocking again and for good reason. 7,432 people came to Rhode Island's home basketball arena to push them over the top of the surprise of the conference this season, the Duquesne Dukes. In a thrilling 61-58 win over the Dukes, the home audience had their faith in the team rewarded when Stanford Robinson hit a game-winning three-point jump shot at the buzzer. Most recently, the Ryan Center was sold out (7,743 fans) in an effort that led the Rhode Island fan base to watch the Rams dominate the Davidson Wildcats, the team that was sitting at second in the Atlantic 10 standings.
All in all, keep it up Rhody MBB fans, the support for your favorite college basketball team is being felt.
