Despite the paid attendance figures, home crowds for Tennessee men's basketball have been sporadic. The atmosphere has been equally stale in the cavernous 24,535-seat arena. The Vols are third in the SEC with an average home attendance of 13,816. But only rarely this season has there been close to that many people in the stands. The explanations run the Big Orange gamut.
Some people claim that the building is too large.
Some lament that they simply can't get any decent seats. Others are more interested in football recruiting this time of year, while others point to the Vols' schedule as being too weak. On Tuesday, there should be no excuses, says Tennessee Coach Jerry Green. You've got one of the Top 5 teams in the nation coming in here to play. If people don't come out to see that, then they're not going to come out and see anything.