For the second straight year and only the second time in history, Division I men's basketball attendance topped the 24 million mark.

The 2000-01 season total of 24,100,555 fans was 181,219 short of last year's record-setting numbers, despite the fact that six conferences set their all-time highs this year.

For all three divisions combined, this year's total of 28,949,093 was the fourth-highest all-time. The record of 29,378,161 was set in 1992. The average attendance per game was about the same as last year, with only 18 fewer people per game attending this year.

Division I tournament attendance dropped for the second straight year after record crowds in 1999. The in-person attendance of 596,075 fans who watched a tournament game in person in 2001 failed to rank in the top 10 totals for tournament attendance.

For the fourth straight season, the Big Ten Conference set a new standard for conference attendance, as 2,345,022 fans clicked the turnstiles during the 2001 season for a 13,383 per-game average. The national conference mark set the previous season had been the Big Ten's 2,255,913.

The Big Ten has won every conference attendance title for the past 25 years. The only year in which a conference other than the Big Ten won the attendance title was in 1976 -- the first year in which the NCAA tracked attendance records -- when the Atlantic Coast Conference claimed the crown.

The ACC finished second this year with an average of 11,760 fans per game. The Southeastern Conference was the only other league to top the 10,000 mark per game with 10,982. The Big 12 Conference was fourth, jumping up three spots from last year's seventh-place finish. Next in line were the Mountain West Conference, Conference USA, the Big East Conference and the Pacific-10 Conference.

Besides the Big Ten, five conferences set records for total attendance, including two that eclipsed the two million mark -- the SEC at 2,163,525 and the Big East at 2,039,505. The three other conferences with record highs were the ACC at 1,681,707, the Mid-American with 189,094, and America East, which registered 222,469 fans.

Wildcats atop school list

For the fifth straight year, Kentucky led the nation in home attendance among individual teams. The Wildcats totaled 261,435 fans and averaged 21,786 spectators over 12 games in Rupp Arena.

Seven teams topped Kentucky's total number of fans but played more games for a lower per-game average. North Carolina totaled 291,705 people at the Smith Center and averaged 20,836 over 14 games to finish second. Syracuse had the highest home total, as 327,789 fans came to see 17 games in the Carrier Dome, and the 19,282 per-game average was good enough to take third in the nation. Nineteen home games helped New Mexico become the only other school to top the 300,000 mark in total home attendance, as 311,940 fans filed into The Pit.

There were 26 Division I teams that saw an increase in attendance of more than 1,000 fans per game from the previous year. Leading the way with the help of 27 wins and a massive renovation of 63-year-old Gallagher-Iba Arena that doubled its seating size was Oklahoma State, which averaged 6,137 more fans per game to lead the nation in attendance increase. Memphis was next with 5,136, followed by Alabama with 2,187.

Three other schools with a 2,000 or more increase were Baylor (up 2,131 fans a game), Seton Hall (2,129) and Wyoming (2,073). UTEP was the only school to appear on the list of 1,000 or more fan increases for both 2000 and 2001.

Divisions II and III

Morehouse, which finished fifth in 2000, claimed its first Division II attendance title with 4,404 spectators per game in 2001. Last year's winner, South Dakota State, dropped to third with 3,765 fans per game, while Kentucky Wesleyan took second with 3,883.

Calvin, after winning last season and taking the title in 10 of the last 15 seasons, maintained its top spot as the Division III attendance leader with 3,369 spectators per game. Hope, which led Division III in 1999, finished second with 2,156, and 1998 champion Illinois Wesleyan took third at 2,132.

The top conference in Division II for the 21st consecutive year was the North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with 300,822 spectators and a 2,118 average.

The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association topped all Division III conferences with a 1,163 average per game to take its 10th consecutive attendance title.