Ford Center crowd great, but not huge

The crowd at the Ford Center on Tuesday night for the OU-Purdue Elite Eight game was great. Seemed louder than any Thunder or Hornets game ever did, and much louder than any college game I’ve covered at the Ford Center.

But attendance was just 11,529, some 7,500 below capacity. Why was it not a sellout? Why wasn’t the Ford Center packed to the brim?

Some blamed the 9 p.m. start for the similar Sunday crowd, but that argument lost its luster when the same size attended an 8 p.m. Tuesday tipoff.

I think it has to do with location and demographics. A large number of OU women’s fans are older Oklahomans — not that there’s anything wrong with that. These Sooner fans feel a connection with Sherri Coale, a small-town Oklahoma girl, and her team, which like much of women’s basketball is a throwback to a basketball they knew 40 years ago, before dunks and posturing were all the rage.

Those fans are in their comfort zone at Lloyd Noble Center. Free parking. Easy parking. Familiar surroundings. Downtown Oklahoma City isn’t like mid-town Manhattan. But any urban downtown can be daunting to someone who isn’t familiar with it. Where to park? How much will it cost? Is it safe?