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GREENSBORO — Maybe it was the foul weather: Temperatures hovered near 40 degrees, and rain fell off and on. Maybe it was the men's tournament, everyone saving themselves for the Davidson-Kansas game later in the afternoon.


Should the NCAA have sent UNC to Greensboro? Join the discussion at the Debatables blog.


Or maybe it was because a certain team in powder blue was nowhere to be found.


Turnout was light in "Tournament Town" this weekend at the NCAA women's basketball Greensboro Regional semifinals. Greensboro Coliseum officials said ticket sales for Sunday's two games totaled 5,034, better than organizers' goal of 5,000.


Bernadette McGlade, an associate commissioner with the host Atlantic Coast Conference, said organizers weeks ago thought North Carolina might get sent to Greensboro, and they hoped for attendance of maybe 9,000. But the NCAA tournament selection committee put the Tar Heels in the New Orleans Regional, meaning the team in Greensboro with the closest fan base was Old Dominion, four hours away in Norfolk, Va.


"We had to readjust our goals," McGlade said.


To bolster tickets sales, organizers offered four tickets, with concessions included, for a full day of games for $44. Additional events were planned around the tournament including a concert and a picnic.


Without a familiar ACC team in town, attendance was left to diehard fans willing to travel hundreds of miles and locals looking for live basketball.


"We just like basketball," said Marvin Ray, who went out with his family to see the semifinal games. "We had an opportunity to come out and see some of the teams you see on the TV in person."


Ray watched attentively as No. 1-ranked Connecticut wore down Old Dominion 78-63. Later, Rutgers defeated George Washington 53-42, setting up a regional championship game Tuesday between two Big East Conference rivals. The winner will go to the Final Four.


But there were plenty of seats visible around the coliseum.


The cheers at the final buzzer broke the quiet that typified most of the first game.


Huskies fans Brent and Jackie Jenks were excited to see a bit of home in Greensboro. They are originally from central Connecticut but moved to Greensboro seven years ago.


"If you're from Connecticut, you pull for Connecticut," Jackie Jenks said.


McGlade said the women's game was still maturing. She said the coliseum is well-known throughout basketball circles and expects the facility and the city will continue to play a role in that development.


"I think it's a tournament town," she said. "This is probably one of the purest basketball facilities in the country."


The ACC women's tournament, played annually at the coliseum, drew a record total attendance this month, including 11,132 for a Duke-North Carolina final. An NCAA women's regional final in 1999, in which Duke defeated defending champion Tennessee, drew 11,133 fans. But an NCAA regional last year drew 6,392 for the semifinals, which included Duke, and 4,844 for a Rutgers-Arizona State championship game.


Coliseum Deputy Director Scott Johnson said coliseum staff would continue to work aggressively to bring events to Greensboro.


"The luck of who won or got in what bracket isn't going to dissuade us from bidding on future tournaments," he said.


Event organizers might have an uphill battle all the way to the finish. NCAA officials set a 9 p.m. tipoff for Tuesday's regional final, a prime television spot but potentially a hard sell to eventgoers.

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing@news-record.com