May 11, 2012
Indianapolis, Ind. — The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team finished 16th in national attendance for the second consecutive year, and it extended UNM’s streak of consecutive years finishing in the top 25 in attendance to 46 straight seasons.
The Lobos played 16 home games and averaged 14,454 fans, the best mark of any Mountain West school. UNLV was 17th in attendance, averaging 14,025 fans.
“Being ranked in the top 25 to end the year both in the polls and in attendance is just a further indication of just how special Lobo Basketball is,” said head coach Steve Alford. “Thanks so much to our terrific fan base, the best in the country.”
The Lobos played to 93.7% capacity, the 10-best mark among the top 25 in attendance, and that is despite having the fourth-smallest capacity among those teams in the top 25 in attendance. All-time, UNM has a record of 659-150 in The Pit, and 12,488,600 fans have watched 809 Lobo games, an average of 15,437. UNM’s seating capacity has changed over the years, with a current capacity of 15,411 after the recent renovations.
2011-12 NCAA Top 25 Teams in Attendance by Average
| Rank | School | G | Attendance | Average | % of Capacity |
| 1 | Kentucky | 18 | 426,978 | 23,721 | 100.9% |
| 2 | Syracuse | 19 | 448,736 | 23,618 | 71.6% |
| 3 | Louisville | 20 | 430,052 | 21,503 | 93.9% |
| 4 | North Carolina | 18 | 362,867 | 20,159 | 93.5% |
| 5 | Wisconsin | 18 | 309,255 | 17,181 | 99.7% |
| 6 | Creighton | 16 | 266,632 | 16,665 | 89.8% |
| 7 | Tenessee | 19 | 314,321 | 15,432 | 76.3% |
| 8 | Ohio State | 20 | 330,210 | 16,511 | 87.8% |
| 9 | Indiana | 19 | 312,77 | 16,462 | 94.2% |
| 10 | Kansas | 17 | 279,557 | 16,445 | 100.9% |
| 11 | Memphis | 20 | 324,670 | 16,234 | 89.6% |
| 12 | BYU | 16 | 246,777 | 15,424 | 67.9% |
| 13 | Marquette | 16 | 242,205 | 15,138 | 79.7% |
| 14 | Illinois | 18 | 269,739 | 14,986 | 90.1% |
| 15 | Michigan State | 18 | 266,346 | 14,797 | 92.5% |
| 16 | New Mexico | 16 | 231,262 | 14,454 | 93.7% |
| 17 | UNLV | 19 | 266,469 | 14,025 | 74.7% |
| 18 | Vanderbilt | 18 | 246,561 | 13,698 | 95.7% |
| 19 | Arizona | 18 | 244,829 | 13,602 | 94.1% |
| 20 | North Carolina State | 19 | 257,638 | 13,560 | 68.8% |
| 21 | Purdue | 17 | 226,504 | 13,324 | 94.3% |
| 22 | Maryland | 17 | 224,0990 | 13,182 | 73.4% |
| 23 | Arkansas | 21 | 275,020 | 13,096 | 67.6% |
| 24 | Iowa State | 18 | 234,266 | 13,015 | 90.6% |
| 25 | Kansas State | 16 | 204,527 | 12,783 | 102.0% |