UNLV Hoopsters Wilt Down Stretch Against San Diego State; Marketing Ideas: Tarp Upper Bowl, All Fans In Lower Bowl, Lower Ticket Prices
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
I was strolling the Thomas & Mack Center concourse at halftime of the UNLV vs San Diego State basketball game Saturday when I met two friends who suggested the Rebels lower ticket prices to get more fans in the once-rocking arena.
They mentioned the UNLV box office wanted more than $100 for lower bowl seats, but they instead bought two tickets for $35 off a secondary market site website.
They were among the few thousand fans who watched UNLV play a strong game on New Year’s Day against the always-tough Aztecs for most of the game, only to go cold down the stretch and lose, 62-55, to fall to eight wins against six defeats. UNLV made only 19 of 64 shot attempts for a lowly 29.7 percent. That shooting aim not going to win many games.
It was a tough defensive battle. With our best defensive performance of the season, we would have loved to end up with a win and have a better flow offensively, but that’s what they do to you. Our group, seeing that for the first time, is good for them. San Diego State has been doing that for a very long time and will end up winning games like this because of the way they defend. – UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger
Though the crowd was small, the fans were a feisty bunch who made a lot of noise and rained boos down on the court when a fragrant foul was called on UNLV in the second half.
Much has been discussed about the struggles of the once-powerful, nationally-known basketball program. There has been a carousel of head coaches the last four years and the UNLV has not had a sniff of the NCAA Big Dance, the national basketball conference.
In the end, all the promotions and ads won’t deliver fans into the 17,000-seat arena without conference championships and Big Dance berths.
Nothing replaces wins. UNLV had a chance to draw a spotlight in a very competitive sports market with games against high-profile basketball schools like UCLA and Michigan this season. But the Runnin’ Rebels lost both games and lost all their games in which they were the underdog this season.
As a result, many fans are the longtime UNLV rooters who have backed the hardwood Rebels for decades.
Realtor and UNLV fan Justin Gannon observed, “Experience was fine. I would tarp off the top and just pack people in the lower bowl. 6,000 lower bowl would create a much better atmosphere. Also get rid of the outrageous ticket prices. Luckily secondary market was cheap.”
