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1,200 tickets remain for Saturday’s clash against BYU
Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010 | 1:17 p.m.
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Tickets for the UNLV basketball team's highly anticipated game on Saturday against conference rival BYU at the Thomas & Mack Center are going quickly.
Perk Weisenburger, UNLV's Associate Athletics Director for External Operations, said only 1,200 tickets remain as of Thursday afternoon — all balcony tickets priced at $18. He expects less than 800 tickets will be left by Friday morning.
"It's pretty safe to say there won't be any tickets available on game day," Weisenburger said. "We should see this thing sold out by the end of tomorrow."
Last year's contest between the two schools drew 18,523 fans and was the first sellout for a home game in 16 years. UNLV's home attendance average of 13,185 fans this winter is second-best in the Mountain West Conference. Capacity at the Mack is 18,485.
"Our supporters and believers are growing," Weisenburger said. "(UNLV coach Lon Kruger) has a lot to do with it. He is recruiting good kids, he's in the community and he's winning games. A lot of people have that Runnin' Rebel fever."
The BYU game isn't the only game that could be sold out.
UNLV plays New Mexico on Wednesday, and Weisenburger said 13,000 tickets have already been sold — roughly 5,500 short of the first back-to-back sellouts since 1991. The ticket office will be open following the BYU game.
"A win on Saturday would go a long ways in propelling us for Wednesday," Weisenburger said.
Tickets can be purchased online at unlvtickets.com, at the arena or by calling 739-FANS.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or ray.brewer@lasvegassun.com.
Discussion: 20 comments so far…
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The crowd against Utah was great and the Tuesday night crowd vs. Air Force surprised us as well.
This Saturday's game kind of reminds me of 20 plus years ago when we had the big weekend afternoon games. Has a familiar feel to it.
REEEEEEEBBBBBEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLSSSSSSSS!!!
sell this game out.... then next wed lets do it again... i bought 7 tickets myself... lets go vegas.
Yes....I just bought tickets to the remaining games and am excited about UNLV athletics, in general. Let's all get some community support to cheer on the Rebels!
I got my ticket. Could they have come up with a more user UNFRIENDLY way to buy tickets? Or find a few more fees to tack on?
Back to back sellouts.
Back to back top 15 ranked opponents.
Back to back victories.
The Runnin' Rebels are going to do their part, let's do ours!
Bought my tickets back in December, can't wait!
BYU hasn't won at UNLV since 2005. lets keep the streak alive!!
Louis G,if you the tix in person you don't get any services charges. And sufferin, go back under the rock you hide under when UNLV wins, you'll be back there anyway after the Rebs take care of the Cougs on Saturday.
lol a top 50-NIT team? you contradicted yourself in the same sentence. 65 teams make the NCAA Tourny..Top 50 would easily get us in, and we will be in
and Kruger could lose these next 3 games and would still keep his job. his job is secure whether you like it or not
Welcome back Suff! That's the spirit! Putting down the BBall program still I see.
I'll be getting more tickets today with friends wanting to come watch!
This is quite interesting. There's a story about how our Rebels completely dominated Wyoming on the road, handing them their worst home loss in 50 years, and not one comment from Sufferin on that board. Yet here we are talking about our biggest game of the season, and the fact that it is nearly sold out, and here is Sufferin talking about how bad the Rebels are and that Lon Kruger's job is in jeopardy and all this other foolishness. Let's look at the facts:
#1: Kruger is not going to get fired. He runs a clean, successful program that has us around the Top 25 and in contention to qualify for the NCAA's every season.
#2: RPI is ONE indicator of NCAA Tournament success and qualification, not the only. I'm betting that if the season ended today everything as it is right now, UNLV is in.
#3: UNLV just came off their best team performance arguably of the season on Wednesday night and is not likely to suffer a let down with the hated BYU Cougars coming in to play before a sell-out crowd. If they were going to suffer a let down, it would have been @Wyoming because they could have been looking ahead to BYU.
BYU hasn't beat UNLV in Vegas in almost 5 years because we are generally a good home team and have a great advantage (the UTAH game withstanding). This is a better team than the one we had last year because they play more as a team. They've already won 4 road games that they lost last year. When this Rebel team has a "let down," they play to the level of their competition. That wouldn't be a bad thing against BYU.
My though is that NCAA tourney-wise, we can probably get by beating either BYU or UNM. It would be a lot more comfortable if we win both, but losing to teams in the Top 15 doesn't hurt you too much, especially when you factor in that we are the only team to win at The Pit. The Jasper injury seemed to wake up the rest of the team and they played pretty physical against Wyoming and hit the boards hard. That needs to continue against BYU and UNM.
Good God Sufferin.
Lon Kruger's job does not, in fact, depend on the outcome of the next two games.
Wake up? You wake up.
Right on Mike! If I might add; don't forget attendance. They aren't going to get rid of Kruger if he keeps filling up the Mack. Could be the opposite. They are probably begging him to stay.
I hope we are as loud as we were against Louisville! We need to lift the roof off the MACK! GO REBELS!!!
Man I am so pumped for this game... Im gonna be in the student section, 2 hrs early and ready to ROCK! My BYU hate is in overdrive right now lol
Yougreb,
Love your enthusiasm, but doors don't open till an hour before tip off.
This game has been circled on my calendar since the schedule came out. The atmosphere is going to be electric!
Ray, if we are second in attendance who leads? BYU? Thanks.
GO REBS!!!
Yeah, BYU is first in attendance.
I'm going to be sitting in the student section! Seriously, if any of the Rebs check this forum I would not mind seeing and "accidental" elbow to Tavernari's gut, lets see if he is more durable than Emery!
I think we win for sure if we win the rebound battle. We CANNOT give up 15 offensive rebounds. BYU shoots too well to give them second chance points.
Big John: Yes, BYU is first in attendance. But UNLV will likely pass them with back-to-back sellouts -- Saturday and then maybe Wednesday against New Mexico. Should be fun. I remember attending Rebel games as a kid and how loud the Mack can get.
Of course BYU leads UNLV in attendance right now. There's only three words needed to explain why: They're in Provo. Cow tipping can only be so fun for so long.
Unfortunately, I cannot make this one because my sister-in-law scheduled my niece's 1st birthday party at noon and I'm not enough of a tool to blow that off... even for this game. Everyone cheer loud for me and do me one favor: come up with something better than the standard, "F! U! BYU!" chant. Most of the Cougar fans alreayd think we're ignorant, classesless morons... let's not prove them right.
All that being said, I think this will be a Rebel victory. I think the Jasper injury created some urgency with the rest of rotation. Rebounding looked much better at Wyoming and we need that to continue.
Thanks for the info Big John
Heard on the 11 o'clock news that it was down 300 tickets left now. Rebs fans get em before the BYU fans do!