Despite playing in the smallest facility in the Ohio Valley Conference, Eastern has the third highest attendance numbers in the conference.

The 5,300-seat Lantz Arena has attracted over 3,000 fans per men’s home game this season. The only schools with better attendance for its men’s basketball games are preseason favorites Murray State and Eastern Kentucky. Racer fans have packed the Regional Special Events Center at the pace of 4,167 people per game.

Eastern Kentucky draws 5,850 fans per game to McBrayer Arena.

However, Eastern’s attendance this season is impressive considering Lantz Arena’s capacity is over 1,000 fewer than any other facility in the conference.

McBrayer Arena and Morehead State’s Johnson Arena both seat 6,500; 1,200 more than Lantz.

The Lantz crowds this season have been consistent. The largest crowd came Jan. 18 when 4,246 (1,054 fewer than capacity) fans came to Lantz to watch the Panthers defeat Tennessee-Martin 68-60. The smallest crowd at Lantz this season was during winter break. On Dec. 30, 1,748 people came to watch Eastern defeat Northern Illinois 90-75.

When it comes to single game attendance, the Eastern has been out drawn by every other team in the OVC. Morehead State’s season high of 4,419 ranks eighth in the OVC this year, making Eastern’s 4,246 last. Four of the biggest crowds at OVC facilities this year could not even fit in Lantz. Murray drew 7,288 people on Dec. 7 when the Racers faced Western Kentucky. Eastern Kentucky (5,850), Southeast Missouri (5,520) and Tennessee-Martin’s (5,372) best attendances could not fit in Lantz.

However, Eastern’s worst attendance of the year is better than five other teams in the conference; Tennessee-Martin’s (421), Tennessee State (1,034), Eastern Kentucky (1,100), Austin Peay (1,124) and Morehead (1,378).

Despite being built in 1966, Lantz has some features other places in the OVC don’t have, like the $250,000 video system Eastern installed in Lantz during the fall of 2001.

Dave Kidwell, Eastern director of sports information and marketing, said the video system is rare to mid-major programs like Eastern and makes Lantz Arena stand out above other facilities in the OVC.