As the Division I women's basketball committee has fiddled with the structure of the NCAA Tournament, fans have developed a love/hate relationship with "pre-determined sites." They try to balance "increasing attendance" with giving a lower seed an "unfair advantage" because they get the home court. Mechelle Voepel takes a look at the impact on attendance and suggests that it ain't good:

....the most recent move to the eight-pod system for the early rounds has caused a decline. In 2005, the first year of that system, the average was 5,650 -- down more than 1,000 from 2004, when the tournament was at 16 predetermined sites.

Wondering what the NCAA is doing to help programs increase their regular season attendance? They have developed specific branding and promotional materials available to all teams. Check out their most recent "Best Practices (pdf)" offering.