While it's too early to call it a trend, NCAA women's basketball attendance dropped for the second straight year, albeit just a little. Any concern should be mitigated, though, by the fact that the women's college game still drew almost 10 million fans.

The 1,036 NCAA women's teams in three divisions posted a total of 9,940,466 fans, or an average of 740 per game. That is the third-highest total in NCAA women's attendance history. The average also is third on the all-time list since 1982, the first year the Association began tracking women's attendance.

Overall, Division III was the lone division to see a rise in total attendance -- both Divisions I and II experienced small drops. Division I attendance has leveled off but still composes the lion's share of women's college basketball attendance. The home attendance totals of 6,635,682 are 71 percent of the 9,323,988 total home fans drawn by the three divisions.

Looking at the total picture, which includes championship tournament, conference tournament and other neutral-site games, Division I women's teams drew 7,067,731 of the overall total of 9,940,466 fans (also a 71 percent slice of the national attendance pie).

Division III, with a record 432 teams competing in a record 5,117 games, racked up an all-time high of 1,072,665 fans and, with a 210 per-game average, just missed the all-time mark of 212. Division II was similar, drawing 1,615,641 total fans and 450 per game, off just 22 fans per game from 2003-04.

Division I championship attendance was affected by the new preliminary-round format that paired eight teams at eight sites for first- and second-round games as opposed to the four-teams-at-16-sites system used in previous years. In 42 sessions during the 2004 tournament, 318,666 fans, an average of 7,587 per-game, attended. In 2005, a slimmed-down 36 sessions totaled 233,066 fans (6,855 per-game), a drop of 85,600 fans and 732 per game. The drops came despite back-to-back 28,937 sessions in Indianapolis' RCA Dome for the NCAA Women's Final Four.

The 324 Division I teams totaled 7,067,831 fans, only the third time in women's history over the seven million mark but still lower than the past two years. The 2002-03 season set all-time marks for both total and per-game attendance in NCAA women's basketball.

On the plus side, Division I neutral-site games, other than tournaments, saw a rise of 62,661 fans for a total of 199,083 and a record 1,402 per game, also up by 265.

The Division III championship tournament was up by 4,599 in total attendance (44,662) and by 104 per game (1,015). The Division II championship was down in both total and per-game figures. Divisions II and III neutral-site attendance combined was up 15,209 to 103,921 in total and by 50 in per-game average to 626.

For the sixth consecutive year, the Big 12 Conference led women's attendance by totaling 937,611 fans among its 12 member schools. The 5,180 per-game average is the second-best all-time figure, trailing only last year's 5,381 fans.

The Big Ten Conference was second with a per-game average of 4,998 and an all-time best total of 799,604. The Southeastern Conference was third at 3,799 per game and 687,655 total. The Big East Conference was fourth with an all-time best of 3,290 per-game and 565,912 total.

Four of the 31 conferences posted records in total attendance and three set per-game records. Eight averaged more than 2,000 spectators per game and another six were above the 1,000 mark.

As for school rankings, Tennessee ruled the top spot in Division I, averaging 13,449 fans. The attendance title is the Lady Vols' 10th since 1982. Connecticut averaged 12,826 fans per game, good for its second straight runner-up slot ahead of third-place Texas Tech (12,601). New Mexico was fourth at 10,674 and Minnesota fifth at 9,020.

In Division I all-games attendance, Tennessee drew 370,930 in its 35 games, while Connecticut totaled 301,959 in 33. LSU had the biggest jump in 2004-05 with a plus-3,791 per-game boost to 7,302 from 3,511 last season.

Emporia State captured its first Division II attendance title, averaging 2,348 fans per game. The Lady Hornets edged Northern State, which posted a 2,323 per-game average. North Dakota was third at 2,313 while Washburn (2,241) and Drury (2,003) rounded out the top five. It was the first time that a team other than North Dakota or North Dakota State led the rankings since 1991.

In the Division II conference rankings, the North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association grabbed its 15th consecutive title by averaging 1,416 fans per game. The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association was second at 1,259, followed by the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (666), the Lone Star Conference (637) and the Heartland Conference (605).

In Division III, Bowdoin captured its first attendance title by averaging 1,192 fans per game. Wisconsin-Stout was second at 1,134. Hardin-Simmons (989), Capital (956) and Scranton (874) rounded out the top five.

The American Southwest Conference won its first Division III conference attendance crown with a 390 per-game average. The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the defending champion, was second at 387, followed by the Ohio Athletic Conference (385), the Midwest Conference (375) and the University Athletic Association (359).