Kansas, K-State, Wichita State once again rank among top 40 in men’s basketball attendance

The Sunflower State once again proved its love for college basketball last season.

Kansas, Kansas State and Wichita State all ranked among the top 40 nationally in paid men’s basketball attendance, according to NCAA data released Wednesday.

The Jayhawks ranked ninth, averaging 16,436 fans per game at Allen Fieldhouse. The Wildcats ranked 32nd, averaging 11,902 at Bramlage Coliseum. The Shockers ranked 37th, averaging 10,805 at Koch Arena.

You can check out the full attendance database here.

Kansas ranked first in the Big 12, followed by Iowa State, Texas and K-State. West Virginia rounded out the top five.

Kentucky led the nation in basketball attendance, averaging 23,361 per home game. Syracuse ranked second, followed by Louisville, North Carolina and Maryland.

Missouri ranked 85th at 6,294 per game, which ranked last in the 14-team SEC. Mississippi State was 13th at 6,555. Missouri State and UMKC were out of the national top 100, averaging 4,140 and 1,528 per game, respectively.

The Big Ten led the way in conference attendance last season, with its teams playing in front of an average crowd of 12,555. The Southeastern Conference ranked second, followed by the Atlantic Coast. The Big 12 ranked fourth, averaging 10,124 per game. The Missouri Valley ranked ninth with 5,051 fans per game.

The Big 12 led by a wide margin in tournament attendance, though. The average crowd at the Big 12 Tournament at the Sprint Center last season was 18,987. The ACC was next in line with 17,877 at its tournament games.

The SEC led the nation in women’s basketball home attendance, including Mizzou ranking 26th nationally at 3,990 per game.

This story was originally published June 8, 2016 at 1:51 PM with the headline "Kansas, K-State, Wichita State once again rank among top 40 in men’s basketball attendance."