NCAA Basketball attendance enjoys records for both genders

Total attendance in men's basketball went up by almost two million - to 32,835,863 - breaking the record of 30,939,715 set in 2006. That number was helped by a record-high 27,705,912 fans who saw Division I games, topping the mark of 25,808,346 also set the previous season.

In the women's game, the total of 10,878,322 eclipsed the record of 10,163,629 set in 2003. The new mark reflected all-time highs of 7,886,207 fans in Division I, 1,697,569 in Division II and 1,183,146 in Division III.

NCAA Men's attendance highlights

*The average crowd for a game involving a Division I team was 5,548, up 122 people a game from the prior year. For all NCAA teams combined, the average crowd was 2,449, up 98 fans a game from 2006.

*In conference attendance, the Big Ten was tops for the 31st straight season, with 2,564,662 fans and a 12,760 per-game average. The four other leagues to average more than 10,000 a game were the Southeastern, Big East, Atlantic Coast and Big 12 Conferences.

*With the extra game per team, 10 conferences broke records for total attendance, including the 16-team Big East, which set the all-time record with 3,259,992 and became the first league to top the three-million mark in a single season.

*Kentucky repeated at the leader among all 325 Division I teams in home attendance with 374,737 fans attending 16 games in Rupp Arena, an average of 23,421 per contest. No. 2 Syracuse had 21,516 fans a game at the Carrier Dome while North Carolina finished third at 20,693. Kentucky has led the nation every year since 1996 except for 2005 when the Orange briefly claimed the top spot.

*Six other teams - Tennessee, Louisville, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Maryland and Marquette - topped the 300,000 mark in total home attendance.

*Thirty-four Division I teams realized an increase from the previous year of more than 1,000 fans per home game, compared to just 26 last year and 16 schools the year before. Nine schools saw increases of 2,000 or more in 2007, compared with only three two seasons ago.

*The Division II attendance title went to Central Missouri. The Mules totaled 65,520 fans over 18 games for a 3,640 per-game average. Winona State, Virginia State (2005 attendance champion) and Northern State (2006 champ) were the only other schools to finish above 3,000 fans a game.

*The top conference in Division II for the 27th consecutive year was the North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with 198,653 spectators and a 1,948 average.
In Division III, Hope took its fifth consecutive title with 2,923 spectators a game and 43,848 total fans at 15 home games. Wooster was second, followed by Calvin and Illinois Wesleyan.

*The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association topped Division III conferences with a 1,100 average per game to take its 16th consecutive attendance title.

Women's attendance highlights

*The average crowd for a game involving a Division I team this past season was 1,655, also a record. For all NCAA teams combined, the average crowd was 815, breaking the previous record of 779 fans a game from 2002. Per-game attendance was 482 fans in Division II and a record-high 242 in Division III.

*For the eighth straight season, the Big 12 Conference led in league attendance and in doing so broke the NCAA conference mark for total fans in a season. The Big 12's 1,023,576 fans in 2006-07 broke its own mark of 1,002,251 set in 2002. The Big 12 averaged 5,170 spectators per game. Rounding out the top five in average attendance were the Big Ten, Southeastern, Atlantic Coast and Big East Conferences.

*Tennessee repeated at the leader among all 324 Division I teams in home attendance with 234,845 fans attending 16 games in Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville for an average of 14,678 per contest. No. 2 Connecticut had 10,802 fans a game, while Texas Tech and Oklahoma both finished above 10,000. Tennessee has led the nation every year since 1997, except for 2003 when Connecticut held the top spot.

*Maryland enjoyed the biggest increase in attendance from the previous season, almost doubling its 4,813 per-game average from 2006 to 9,533 in 2007. Twelve Division I teams realized an increase in attendance from the previous year of more than 1,000 fans per home game.

*Washburn repeated as the Division II attendance champ, totaling 35,875 fans over 14 games this season and averaging 2,563 a game. Emporia State, Northern State, Missouri Western State and North Dakota were the only other schools to finish above 2,000 fans a game.

*The North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference returned to the top spot in Division II conference attendance with 146,596 spectators and a 1,466 average. Last year's champ, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association, finished second with a 1,371 average but totaled more fans at 192,008 because of three more teams and 40 more games. The North Central won every Division II attendance title from 1991 to 2005.

*Howard Payne took its first Division III attendance title with 1,490 spectators a game and 25,338 total fans at 17 home games. That total edged Wisconsin-Stout at 1,444 fans a game. Bowdoin, Hope and New York University were the only other schools to average more than 1,000 fans per contest.

*The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference took its fourth Division III attendance title in the last five years by averaging 505 fans a game. The Ohio Athletic Conference and the American Southwest Conference finished second and third, respectively.

Source: NCAA News