July 1, 2003
ALBUQUERQUE, NM – The University of New Mexico is one of only two schools to have both its men’s and women’s basketball programs rank in the top-12 in attendance during the 2002-03 season. The Lobo women were fourth while the men finished No. 12. The Wisconsin men were sixth, the women 11th. The UNM men and women have both finished in the top-12 in each of the past five seasons. The rankings:
| 2002-03 NCAA Men’s Attendance Leaders | ||
| 1. | Kentucky | 22,271 |
| 2. | Syracuse | 20,921 |
| 3. | Louisville | 19,037 |
| 4. | North Carolina | 18,688 |
| 5. | Maryland | 17,566 |
| 6. | Wisconsin | 16,930 |
| 7. | Memphis | 16,643 |
| 8. | Indiana | 16,527 |
| 9. | Kansas | 16,300 |
| 10. | Ohio State | 16,057 |
| 11. | Marquette | 15,553 |
| 12. | New Mexico | 15,186 |
| 2002-03 NCAA Women’s Attendance Leaders | ||
| 1. | Connecticut | 12,859 |
| 2. | Tennessee | 12,585 |
| 3. | Texas Tech | 12,204 |
| 4. | New Mexico | 11,896 |
| 5. | Iowa State | 9,632 |
| 6. | Kansas State | 8,753 |
| 7. | Minnesota | 7,800 |
| 8. | Notre Dame | 7,132 |
| 9. | Purdue | 7,054 |
| 10. | Penn State | 6,771 |
| 11. | Wisconsin | 6,676 |
| 12. | SW Missouri | 6,576 |
The Lobo women drew more fans than any other NCAA Div. I team at 226,024 for 19 home games, which included three games in the NCAA Tournament. To put UNM’s home attendance in perspective, the seven other schools in the Mountain West Conference combined to average 7,831 fans a game. The Lobo women’s attendance increased by 2,667 a game from 2001-02, the second-highest increase in the country last year. Minnesota was first, going from 4,359 to 7,800, an increase of 3,441 a game. UNM women’s attendance the past few years:
| Season Average Rank | ||
| 1994-95 | 397 | — |
| 1995-96 | 3,501 | 21st |
| 1996-97 | 4,863 | 11th |
| 1997-98 | 5,010 | 13th |
| 1998-99 | 7,470 | 8th |
| 1999-00 | 8,918 | 6th |
| 2000-01 | 8,712 | 5th |
| 2001-02 | 9,229 | 5th |
| 2002-03 | 11,896 | 4th |
Although the men’s average of 15,186 is its lowest in 23 years, UNM has still finished in the top-12 for 37 consecutive years, or every season the Lobos have played in The Pit. No other school in the country can make that claim.
The Mountain West Conference ranked 5th nationally in average attendance for men at a conference-record 9,694 a game.