UCLA’s men’s basketball team is 13-0 and ranked No. 2 in both polls, but the “embrace from fans has been less than robust so far,” according to Billy Witz of the N.Y. TIMES. Last Wednesday's game against Western Michigan drew a "well-below-capacity” crowd at Pauley Pavilion, and just once in "eight home games have the Bruins played to a sold-out crowd.” UCLA is “averaging 8,645 fans -- nearly 5,000 below their famed arena’s capacity of approximately 13,570.” The problem has “even spread beyond Westwood: When the Bruins beat Texas A&M last month to win the Wooden Legacy tournament in Anaheim, Calif., only 4,221 turned out for the championship game.” It has been “nearly a decade since the Bruins were serious Final Four contenders, and other factors -- little enthusiasm for Coach Steve Alford, generally high ticket prices and the hassles of inconvenient, made-for-TV tipoff times -- have conspired to dampen excitement.” UCLA AD Dan Guerrero said, “It’s an L.A. thing in a general sense.” Guerrero was “encouraged that Wednesday’s game drew 10,695, the second-largest crowd this season, on a rainy night during the holiday break.” One of Guerrero’s “frustrations is that many empty seats close to center court -- and visible on TV -- have been sold, but those who bought them chose not to come.” He said, “In L.A., it’s known to most that you need to be relevant. If you’re relevant, people will show up” (N.Y. TIMES, 12/24).
