A record number of fans watched NCAA men's basketball games during the 2001-02 season, highlighted by Division I attendance topping the 24 million mark for the third straight season.

The Division I season total of 24,499,611 fans was 217,837 more than the record-setting number two years ago even though only two conferences set all-time highs this year.

For all three divisions combined, this year's total of 29,395,240 broke the 10-year-old record of 29,378,161 set in 1992.

For the 26th straight season, the Big Ten Conference set the standard for conference attendance as 2,258,255 fans pushed the turnstiles during the 2002 season for a 13,362 per-game average. The Big Ten set the previous record last year at 2,342,022.

The Big Ten has won every conference attendance title for the past 26 years. The only year in which a conference other than the Big Ten had the most attendance was in 1976 -- the first year in which the NCAA tracked attendance records -- when the Atlantic Coast Conference claimed the crown.

This year, the Southeastern Conference was the only league other than the Big Ten to top the two million mark at 2,094,195, averaging 10,907 fans per contest. The ACC finished third nationally with an average of 10,691 fans per game. The Big 12 Conference was the only other league to top the per-game average of 10,000. The Big 12's per-game average of 10,045 was an all-time conference high, as was its record total of 1,948,759.

The Mountain West Conference was next with a league high of 9,231 fans per game. The Big East Conference, Conference USA, the Pacific-10 Conference, the Missouri Valley Conference and the Atlantic 10 Conference completed the top 10.

Conference USA, with a total of 1,920,276 fans, was the only league other than the Big 12 to set a league high for total attendance. The three conferences with league highs for per-game average were the Big 12, the Mountain West and the Ivy Group, the latter registering 2,463 fans per game.

Campus crowds

For the sixth straight year, Kentucky led the nation in home attendance among individual teams. The Wildcats totaled 315,203 fans and averaged 21,014 spectators over 15 games in Rupp Arena.

Three teams topped Kentucky's total number of fans but played more games for a lower per-game average. Louisville totaled the most spectators of any college team with 359,655 people at Freedom Hall. Louisville's average of 18,929 fans over 19 games was second best. Indiana averaged 17,183 fans per game at Assembly Hall to finish third.

Memphis' Pyramid was busy as 340,723 fans watched 21 Tigers home games. Memphis finished behind only fellow Conference USA member Louisville in total gate.

Next in total attendance was Syracuse, where 323,438 fans saw 19 games in the Carrier Dome. The Orangemen's 17,023 per-game average was fourth-highest 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 312,090 fans filed into The Pit.

The two teams in the Division I championship game also finished one-two in attendance for all games combined throughout the season. A total of 644,641 spectators watched national runner-up Indiana at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, on the road and at neutral sites. National champion Maryland totaled 623,898 fans. Next was Kentucky with 605,924. Besides Maryland and Indiana, the other Final Four teams took fourth (Kansas) and ninth (Oklahoma). The 1989 Syracuse squad set the all-time record at 855,053.

Twenty-six Division I teams realized an increase in attendance of more than 1,000 fans per home game from the previous year. New coach Bob Knight helped attract Texas Tech fans, as 4,186 more people per game crowded into United Spirit Arena. Three other schools with a 2,000 or more increase were Louisiana-Monroe (up 2,490 fans a game), Western Kentucky (2,426) and Indiana (2,278).

Divisions II and III

South Dakota State returned to the top spot to claim the Division II attendance title with 4,449 spectators per game in 2002. North Dakota finished second at 3,857, while Kentucky Wesleyan took third at 3,805. South Dakota was the only other team to hit the 3,000 mark, finishing fourth with 3,044.

Calvin kept its claim as the Division III attendance leader for the third straight year with 2,893 spectators per game. Calvin has won the Division III attendance title in 11 of the last 16 seasons. Hope again finished second with 2,205, while Illinois Wesleyan repeated at third with 2,081. Otterbein finished fourth at 2,050.

The top conference in Division II for the 22nd consecutive year was the North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with 369,858 spectators and a 2,551 average. Seven other Division II conferences averaged at least 1,000 fans per home game for the season.

The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association topped Division III conferences with a 1,244 per-game average to take its 11th consecutive attendance title. The eight teams of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin again finished second with a 980 average.