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The Pit typically boasts strong attendance numbers, and with the success the No. 14 New Mexico men’s basketball team has had so far this season, tickets have been more difficult to come by.
Several times this year tickets have sold out hours after they became available. That has been particularly true in sections Y and Z, otherwise known as UNM’s student section.
Wednesday night’s sold-out crowd proved the difficulty in acquiring tickets won’t stop some people.
“Everyone who comes to every game works really hard to come to the games faithfully,” senior Alicia Carreon said before watching UNM drop San Diego State 70-60 on Wednesday. “Your regulars come no matter what.”
Of the 15,411 seats at The Pit, sections Y and Z feature 1,640 seats for UNM students, who obtain tickets free of charge through the University’s ticket office. According to information provided by the Athletics Department, this year’s student attendance is the highest it’s been in 10 years.
On average, 982 student tickets have been given out for Lobo men’s basketball games in 2013. That number takes into account this Saturday’s sold-out home finale against Wyoming, a game in which UNM (24-4, 11-2 MWC) can clinch at least a share of the conference regular-season title.
UNM averaged 972 students per game during the 2010-11 season, but that number dipped last season to 764 per game. The school averaged 900-plus students in 2009-10 with 951 per game. The school’s lowest student attendance in recent history was 286 per game in 2005-06.
In Steve Alford’s six-year run as UNM head coach, student attendance averaged 862 per game.
Mark Koson, UNM’s associate athletic director for ticket services, said student tickets have been in high demand this season. Distribution dates for games, scheduled for Mondays, were spaced out over the course of the season.
Tickets were obtained quickly, Koson said, but how rapidly student tickets went depended on the opponent. The last distribution date was Feb. 18 for the SDSU and Wyoming games. No tickets were left by that afternoon, he said.
Tickets for the San Diego State game were so hard to come by that senior Alex Morales said he bought a ticket from another student.
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“I usually get (to the ticket office) early,” he said. “You have to wait in line. Sometimes you have to sleep overnight or get there right away. But for this game, I had to pay $20 to get my student ticket.”
UNM students taking at least six credit hours are eligible for free tickets to all athletic events, Koson said.
The UNM pep band takes up 119 seats over six rows roughly in the middle of section Y. The remainder of section Y and all of section Z are for other students, and seating is a first-come, first-served basis.
Attendance in general for men’s basketball at The Pit has also risen. Across 15 games, an average of 14,996 people attended Lobo games and the venue has been at 97.3 percent of its capacity.
Overall attendance is at its highest since 2001-02, when The Pit averaged 16,426 fans per game in a time that there were more seats than there are now. The Pit underwent a $60 million renovation, completed in the 2010-2011 season, that included changes to luxury, club-level and lower-bowl seating, according to the UNM athletic website. Maximum capacity was 18,018 then — 2,607 more than it is currently.
As is the case in most major basketball arenas, the UNM student section gets into the action with its noise and enthusiasm. The atmosphere in sections Y and Z feels different this year, Carreon said.
“It’s probably a little bit stronger (atmosphere) this year than I’ve felt in years past,” she said. “There are a lot of new cheers they incorporate this year, and they’re doing a lot of new traditions. … It’s really exciting to see more people getting involved.”
The Lobos seem to feed off that energy. They have 14 wins at The Pit this season and haven’t lost in the building since Dec. 22, a 70-65 decision to South Dakota State. They have outscored their opponents by an average of 11.8 points in home games, scoring 71.4 points per game offensively and giving up 59.6 points per game defensively.
That effort, in turn, gets the crowd more fired up.
“It feels like we’re a top team in the country; I feel like we’re a top five team in the country,” Morales said. “That’s the energy. That’s what the fans show. I’d vote The Pit the No. 1 stadium in the country.”
