Kentucky Hoops Attendance Down Ahead Of Rupp Arena Renovations

UK is averaging 5,774 unused tickets per home game this season, despite distributing an average of 20,299 GETTY IMAGES

Kentucky men's basketball games at Rupp Arena were "averaging just 20,708 prior to Saturday’s sellout against Kansas," a decline of nearly 12% "over a two-year span" since attendance averaged 23,461 in the '16-17 season, according to Tim Sullivan of the Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL. However, the "real slippage is even more significant." UK had "distributed an average of 20,299 tickets to its 13 home games (including exhibitions) prior to the Kansas game," but the average number of tickets scanned was 14,525 -- "leaving an average of 5,774 tickets unused per game." UK AD Mitch Barnhart cites a "back-loaded schedule, inclement weather for several games, and the inconveniences caused by Rupp construction as having an adverse impact" on home crowds. The Rupp Arena renovations "expected to be completed prior to next season will include chairback seating in Rupp’s upper-level sideline sections and two clubs for season-ticket holders." The changes are "expected to shrink Rupp’s seating capacity" from 23,500 to 20,500, "presumably, at higher prices." Spectators accustomed to "backless benches in the upper level of Rupp Arena have been leaving a larger proportion of those seats empty, often absorbing the price of a prepaid ticket while the Wildcats plow through the cupcake portion of their schedule" (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 1/27).

CHANGING OF THE GUARD: In Lexington, Mark Story wrote after this year, UK home games "will never quite be the same." The announced crowd of 24,387 for Kansas was "far and away the largest home crowd" this season. But with Rupp "substantially downsizing for next season, the days of crowds of 24,000 filling the arena with a wall of noise are numbered." An "upgrade in comfort for the fans 'up top' at Rupp Arena is long overdue, and it is worth the loss in overall seating capacity." Still, there has "always been something special, even magical, when Rupp has filled to 24,000-plus for a big game" (LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER, 1/27).

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