http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2011/02/ncaa-college-attendance-lagging-sec-acc--1/1

This specifically discusses major confernce teams. Our numbers don't follow this trend. Ours is the highest in nine years:
10-11: 5,599
09-10: 5,289
08-09: 5,016
07-08: 5,135
06-07: 4,502
05-06: 4,738
04-05: 4,397
03-04: 4,514
02-03: 6,117
01-02: 7,283
00-01: 7,474

I know there were certainly some higher attendance seasons but this was as far back as I could find. And of course, we had an unusually high number of home games this year, but this season is likely to finish in the top 5 all-time in total attendance:
1994-95: 113,427
2010-11: 106,373
1996-97: 103,978
1971-72: 100,595
1999-00: 97,160

What are we doing so well that other schools across the country aren't?

Tickets sold counts, not bodies through the door.  I had 8 tickets and two bodies at the game Wednesday.  This is how attendance is counted now.

My five have been counted every game; only been scanned once so far.

Believe it or not, some schools still count butts in seats.  Just make a few calls to other schools' ticket office and you'll find out.  We're not scanning any longer at basketball.  The count is a hand count.

For volleyball, yes.  For men's basketball you hand the attendant your ticket and then go in.  They used to have little scanner devices but I was told by one of the folks that they weren't working properly so they aren't using them this year.  That said, they could be scanning all of those tickets after the game starts.

Home attendance sitting at 102,852 for the 2010-11 season. That is good for #3 all time. The single season record can be broken with 10,576 if the Cats end up hosting a first round game.

I don't know if this is the right question for the situation. My question is "What is happening to make college basketball less important to the common fan?"

I have not watched a whole lot of college basketball this season. I didn't re-up on my Northwestern season tickets nor find any live college basketball game to attend. I made other choices. For me, these are the reasons.

1. The regular season just does not matter. Teams in the larger conferences are guaranteed chance after chance to legitimize themselves. Face it, DePaul was the only team in the Big East that claimed no legitimate shot at making the NCAA tournament going into conference play. The rest were alive and well and slowly eliminated themselves during conference play. Even so, 11 Big East teams could argue a chance to the NCAA tournament?! 11?! Come on! 

2. The game (especially at the larger conference level) is awful. Blame early exits to the NBA, blame the lack of fundamental training due to focus on game play (AAU), or whatever handy tool in our arsenal, but the game is difficult to watch sometimes. Offenses are ragged, defensive play is uneven. There are just times when I want to see superior teams do superior things and we have not had these developments this season.

3. The NBA. As much as there's this "I don't like the NBA" crowd out there. I will state here and now that the NBA is as interesting as it has been since the early 90s and it is slowly approaching mid 80s fun. Irrational hate between teams/fans/cities. Chris Bosh crying last night made my friggin' week! Maybe this is because my Bulls are in the horse race, but the game is loaded with intrigued and talent and skill. I can choose up to 10 games this season that have been more interesting than a NCAA game (outside of an Ohio game) in the past 5 years. Miami-Orlando last night was pure fun. The Chicago-Miami game last week was about as good of an NBA game I've seen in a long while. I know that I'm in the minority in my love of the NBA (and this is a refreshed love of the NBA), but this season is absolutely awesome. And the NBA is a league that makes a habit in disregarding its regular season...but, if you follow the Eastern Conference, the regular season just became a big deal. I just can't watch mediocre college basketball teams eff up screen and rolls (offensively OR defensively) anymore. 

I'll watch the tournament and make a bracket or two or three, but I'm having difficulty following the NCAA basketball season. I watch as much Ohio basketball I can and I love it, but give me a regular season game in any other conference between any two teams and I'm checked out by the first TV timeout. 

Perhaps the economy cost ot tickets?

Also, Medler's widespread influence.  When he disdains college hoops, a downward trend ensues.    Plus, he's pretty much correct about the pros; lots of competitive ball.

Because we could only count butts in seats tonight, the attendance was reflective of those who came to the game.  McKinney, you were off quite a bit tonight my man.  That being said, BG and Akron didn't have 3,000 total if you combined both games.  Haven't seen Buffalo's attendance yet.

The comforts of home lures fans away from stands

But nowhere near the best in terms of per game average.  There are more games played today, and our current regime is putting a premium on a higher percentage of home games.

Wasn't that Wisconsin game in the Rock n' Roll Shoot-out in Cleveland?  Ugly game as I recall...never really in that one.

Thanks UpSan.  Man, I'm getting old...I didn't remember any of those other Wisconsin games...and I was still in Athens for that home game!