On Twitter yesterday, Dave Matter posed a question as to why Mizzou's Attendance was dropping, prompted by a Jon Solomon article about the SEC requesting assistance from ESPN on how to improve the league's overall basketball attendance, which is not good. Mizzou being the biggest dip in attendance down 23% compared with last year's numbers. Cited in the article as reasons for poor attendance were, ESPN availability, game times and lack of interest in the SEC footprint.

Fans reacted on Twitter citing such reasons as price, transfers, start time, weather, not the best slate of games to attend, Mizzou football playing so well and extending their season, and we even heard from Mike Dixon who said Mizzou's fans are fair weather, this tweet has been since deleted. But the transfer issue is interesting, since this team has more than half it's roster composed of transfer players. Which got our buddy Fullback thinking and he asked me if I could look at attendance vs record compared to the amount of transfers on the team, to see if there was a correlation. And what did I find?

Nothing that appears to me of any statistical significance. To be fair, I am not Bill C and if Bill C did this post it would be much better. Currently Mizzou's average home attendance this season sits at 8,637, well below Mizzou Arena's capacity of 15,061. I imagine with Arky and Mike Anderson coming to town on Thursday we should get some good numbers, but with the Kentucky game being sleeted and frozen and the UCLA game being on the same day of the SEC Championship game, the games where you would think we would have pulled good numbers we did not.

What's interesting, is if you look back at the numbers (which are below) our last great season (2008-2009, Elite 8 year) Mizzou arena only average 9,807 attendance for the season. The main culprit I would imagine being that the season before Mizzou did not appear in the post season thus dulling expectations and early attendance numbers which definitely skewed the average down. For the past 4 years, with Mizzou making the NCAA tournament we've averaged in the 11,000 range for fans for home games, which isn't terrible and looking at games towards the end of he season you see the numbers rise.

Which gets us to the original point that Fullback asked me about, does a team full of transfers affect attendance versus a team composed of three and four year players who the fans have gotten to know and love (or hate)? It does not appear so, what does matter and this should come as a surprise to no one, is winning. Win games and as James Earl Jones said in Field of Dreams, "People will come Ray..."

Below, I've listed the transfers on each Mizzou team going back to 1997, the head coach, final record, post season elimination (if played) and average attendance. HC, indicates Head Coach, JC indicates a Junior College transfer, no note indicates that the player came from another four year institution.

2013-2014

Tony Criswell

Jordan Clarkson

Deuce Bello (NA)

Danny Feldman

Jabari Brown

Ernest Ross

Keanau Post (JC)

Zach Price (NA)

HC - Frank Haith

Average Attendance (as of today) - 8,637 (Mizzou Arena Capacity, 15,061)

2012-2013 23-11 (lost to Colorado State in 1st rd of NCAA tourney)

Tony Criswell

Keoin Bell

Jordan Clarkson (NA)

Danny Feldman

Ernes t Ross

Jabari Brown

Alex Oriakhi

HC - Frank Haith

Average Attendance - 11, 996 (Mizzou Arena Capacity, 15,061)

2011-2012 30-5 (lost to Norfolk State U in the 1st rd. of NCAA Tourney)

Jabari Brown

Keion Bell

Ernest Ross

Matt Pressey (JC)

Ricardo Ratliffe (JC)

HC - Frank Haith

Average Attendance -11,830 (Mizzou Arena Capacity, 15,061)

2010-2011 - 23-11 (lost to Cincy in 1st rd. of NCAA tourney)

Matt Pressey (JC)

Ricardo Ratliffe (JC)

HC - Mike Anderson

Average Attendance -11,112 (Mizzou Arena Capacity, 15,061)

2009-2010 - 23-11 (lost to WVU in the 2nd rd. of NCAA tourney)

Zaire Taylor

Keith Ramsey

HC - Mike Anderson

Average Attendance -10,349 (Mizzou Arena Capacity, 15,061)

2008-2009 - 31-7 (lost to UConn in Elite 8 of NCAA tourney)

DeMarre Carroll

Michael Anderson JR

Zaire Taylor

Keith Ramsey

HC - Mike Anderson

Average Attendance -9,807 (Mizzou Arena Capacity, 15,061)

2007-2008 - 16-16 (No post season appearance)

DeMarre Carrol

Stefhon Hannah (JC)

Darryl Butterfield (JC)

Michael Anderson JR

Vaidotas Volkus (JC)

HC - Mike Anderson

Average Attendance -8,060 (Mizzou Arena Capacity, 15,061)

2006 - 2007 - 18-12 (No post season appearance)

Stefhon Hannah (JC)

Michael Anderson Jr.

Marcus Watkins

Vaidotas Volkus (JC)

Darryl Butterfield (JC)

HC - Mike Anderson

Average Attendance -8,243 (Mizzou Arena Capacity, 15,061)

2005 - 2006 12 -18 (No post season appearance)

James Douglas (JC)

Marcus Watkins (JC)

HC - Quin Snyder/Marcus Watkins

Average Attendance -8,370 (Mizzou Arena Capacity, 15,061)

2004 - 2005 16 -17 (lost to Depaul in 1st rd. of NIT)

Jason Conley

HC - Quin Snyder

Average Attendance -9,773 (Mizzou Arena Capacity, 15,061)

2003 - 2004 16 - 14 (lost to Michigan in 1st rd. of NIT)

Jason Conley

Randy Pulley ( JC)

HC - Quin Snyder

Average Attendance -12,281 (Hearnes Center Capacity, 13,611)

2002 - 2003 22-11 (lost to Marquette in 2nd rd. of NCAA Tourney)

Rickey Clemmons (JC)

HC - Quin Snyder

Average Attendance -11,393 (Hearnes Center Capacity, 13,611)

2001 - 2002 24-12 (lost to Oklahoma in Elite 8 of NCAA Tourney)

HC - Quin Snyder

2000 - 2001 20 - 13 (lost to Duke in 2nd rd. of NCAA Tourney)

Tajudeen Soyoye (JC)

HC - Quin Snyder

1999 - 2000 18 - 13 (lost to UNC in 1st rd of NCAA Tourney)

Tajudeen Soyoye (JC)

HC - Norm Stewart

1998 - 1999 20 - 9 (lost to New Mexico in 1st rd of NCAA Tourney)

Albert White

HC - Norm Stewart

1997 - 1998 17 -15 (lost to UAB in 1st rd of NIT)

Albert White

Dibi Ray

HC - Norm Stewart