INDIANAPOLIS – USC Aiken's men's basketball team concluded the 2008-09 season ranked 17th in overall attendance in NCAA Division II according to the NCAA in its overall attendance numbers released on Thursday.

The Pacers had a total of 30,547 fans in the 2008-09 season visit the Convocation Center to average 2,036 fans per game. The mark moves the Pacers up 11 spots from 28th one year earlier when an average of 1,479 fans visited the Convocation Center during the 2007-08 season.

USC Aiken had the highest attendance in the Peach Belt Conference with rival Augusta State as the only other school in the league in the top 30. Augusta State averaged 1,688 fans per home game.

The two rivals played in front of the largest crowd in Peach Belt Conference and USC Aiken athletic history when the Pacers downed the visiting Jaguars 78-74 on Monday, Jan. 19 in front of a crowd of 3,569 fans.

The PBC average in 2008-09 was 939 fans per game, meaning that USC Aiken more than doubled the conference average for the second straight year.

Northern State led the nation once again in attendance with an average of 4,735 fans at their games for every home opening. 

Under the guidance of head coach Vince Alexander the USC Aiken men's basketball program has become a national force in NCAA Division II over the past couple of seasons.

The Pacers have won a school record 52 games over the last two years with the 2007-08 USC Aiken men's basketball team winning the Peach Belt Conference Regular Season Championship and the 2008-09 Pacer men's basketball team advancing farther than any other squad in program history to the NCAA Division II “Sweet Sixteen.”

The Pacers have been especially strong in the friendly confines of the Convocation Center where they are currently 27-1 during the regular season over the past two seasons. USC Aiken is 19-1 against PBC opposition during the regular season inside the Convocation Center since it opened its doors prior to the start of the 2007-08 season.