James Barron: Lobo fans resuscitate The Pit for one day

Dec. 20—The Pit magic was back — even if it was for a limited showing.

The University of New Mexico's 82-74 win over Iona was a refreshing blast from the past, a reminder of the arena's special ability to almost will the Lobos to a win. Those were the days when fans yelled themselves so hoarse they took the next day off just so their voices could recuperate.

It's highly doubtful a vast majority of fans were calling in sick Monday, but it felt good to see the community galvanized by UNM.

It's been far too long since a crowd this big and this motivated made itself relevant. Oh, there are times when it shows up; mainly for a game against NMSU or when a big name like Steve Alford or, as it was Sunday, Rick Pitino waltzes into town. Heck, it has been almost three seasons since The Pit had crowds of more than 10,000 for consecutive home games.

As encouraging as the Iona-UNM crowd was, total attendance was still hundreds of seats shy of a sellout. Heck, it's been seven seasons since that happened.

For UNM diehards, the fact it has been so long since The Pit sold out is merely another sign of the decline of support for the program.

Sure, it's easy to blame exorbitant prices, ridiculous parking costs and expensive food items for pricing many fans out of a Pit experience, but perhaps the truest reason for the decline is simply interest.

The Pit's charm won over generations of fans who lived and died with the Lobos. They were the backbone during the heights of Ellenberger, Bliss and Alford — with 17,000-plus fans cramming together on benches or keeping chairbacks warm with the anticipation of excitement.

Sunday's game was the first in several years when there was a palpable buzz that cut through Albuquerque and beyond. Having the Pitino father-versus-son coaching angle sure added to the allure, but there was a time when UNM didn't need an angle to get butts in the seats.

They showed up because the Lobos were the biggest game in town, because everybody was going to be there. Those days are long gone, because that tie was severed. Students aren't flocking to one of the greatest venues in the world, because ... Why? These aren't the students of 10, 15 or 20 years ago when they were ingrained with Lobo fever.

Now, it's merely a Lobo tickle in the throat.

Even in the worst days of UNM basketball (the post-Lobogate years, the period between Dave Bliss and Steve Alford), fans still flocked to The Pit. If you had called 14,534 fans a good crowd 15 years ago, the guffaws and laughter would be audible all over the state.

But times are different. Lobo spirit still lives in a relatively decent-sized segment of Northern New Mexico, but residents' time is divided among other interests — some sports related, others not so much. The New Mexico United unveiled the blueprint to attract fans when it came on the scene in 2019 — engage with the community, and they will respond.

It says something the only time you see The Pit magic emerge is when the state high school basketball tournament is in town. Again, that's community engagement with their respective teams.

UNM has never figured that part out, so it's left to doing things the hard way — like producing a winning team.

Even that has a short shelf life. We've already seen what happens when mediocrity or worse jogs down that ramp. People will tune them out until they give them a reason to come.

An 11-0 team is a good reason.

Playing in one of the most exciting environments in the country should be another one. Unfortunately, those days are gone forever.

Keep winning, Lobos. It's the only way to keep fans — and that elusive Pit magic — coming back.