By: Jake Krier, UWEC Sports Information

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) - On Tuesday, the NCAA released attendance numbers for basketball for the 2016-17 season. Among Division III numbers, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's and women's programs were among the nation's best.

Men's Basketball Release | Women's Basketball Release

Zorn Arena played host to a number of key games last year that brought in high attendance numbers. Overall, the Blugolds ranked second in the nation for men's games, averaging 1,550 fans per game. Additionally, for women's games, the Blugolds finished third in the nation, with an average crowd of 943 fans.

Over the course of 12 home games, the men's basketball team played in front of a total of 18,600 fans, trailing just Hope College for attendance numbers. They also contributed to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) finishing in second place among DIII conferences.

The women's squad competed in front of 12,258 fans in their 13 games at Zorn a season ago, falling behind only Puget Sound and Hope, who led Division III in attendance for the ninth consecutive season. The WIAC came in second place in women's basketball as well.

Both teams will begin their journey back to the WIAC Tournament when they open up their seasons in November.