Im not going to get into a lot of detail (prepping for finals) but a theory/suggestion I have is this...
Akron has the label of a being a commuter school. I know the University is making efforts to get more kids on campus, but it is infact still a commuter school. This is obviously going to hurt student attendance, especially on a Sunday afternoon when nobody is on campus.
I believe with the students we have on campus, more of an effort needs to be made by the RAs, (yes I said RAs and not marketing deptartment) to get the kids on their floor to go to games. Getting a group of people to go to an event works. It provides a social setting with people that you know and are friends with, and has a good chance of creating a few new "regulars" when they actually see the product we are putting on the court. My freshman year, I went to many things that I never would have if my RA had not organized it for us. Skating rink, rock wall climbing, EJ Thomas, etc.
The upper class-man need to do a better job with getting the younger students aware and involved.
Akron is in a unique situation. There is only so much the University can do so fast, but there is still a little that the University leaves left on the table.