Attendance tracker

From the NCAA attendance report released Thursday, we learned that Tennessee led the nation once again (yawn), with UConn checking in at No. 2. But what about the Virginia schools? Here's a breakdown:

1. Virginia - 3,853 per game average
- Hot Dog! A wiener promotion and glamorous Tennessee as an opponent lured a record 11,895 to the John Paul Jones Arena, goosing the overall average considerably. Hey, Cavaliers, any thoughts on making Hot Dog Day an annual event?

2. Old Dominion - 3,007
- Another Colonial Athletic Association-leading figure, but 590 per game lower than the previous year and by far the lowest since the Lady Monarchs moved into the Constant Center in 2002-03.

3. Virginia Tech - 2,381
- A sleeping giant. If Tech can pick things up on the court, Hokie Nation has shown the capacity to double this figure...perhaps even triple it. No kidding.

4. James Madison - 2,348
- The Dukes averaged 1,316 in coach Kenny Brooks' first full season eight years ago. JMU has set season attendance records three of the last four years.

5. Hampton - 1,624
- Tremendous figure for a MEAC school - nine of the league's other 10 schools average less than 900.

6. George Mason - 1,052
- Trending up, like just about everything else connected with this program (the Patriots averaged 920 in 2008-09).

7. Liberty - 961
- Doesn't seem like much at first glance, especially given the quality of the Lady Flames' program. But that figure is nearly 400 more than the next highest-drawing Big South school (Charleston Southern).

8. William and Mary - 876
- Strong turnout by this program's standards; the Tribe averaged just 300 per game in 2008-09.

9. Norfolk State - 561
- Given the Spartans' struggles the past three years, it's quite a feat to get this many folks to come watch 'em play. Who says NSU fans aren't diehard?

10. VCU - 548
- Ugh.

11. Richmond - 397
- Let's just say the state capital isn't exactly the women's basketball capital.

12. Longwood - 371
- In the Lancers' defense, their hoops are a tough sell. Without a conference affiliation, Longwood games tend to have an exhibition feel to them.

13: Radford - 359
- Bet Radford students would show up if they told 'em they were throwing a party in the Dedmon Center.