The LSU men’s basketball team may be without many student supporters tonight in Atlanta when the Tigers take on the University of Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference tournament. Even arguably the most dedicated fans in the student section – the self-proclaimed Front Row Lunatics – are not making the trip except for ringleader Trey Dominique, who will be attending as a substitute Bengal Brass band member. Dominique, political science senior, is a seasoned Tiger traveler. He journeyed to the 2006 Final Four, has made eight SEC roadtrips during the 2005-2006 season and even attended a Jan. 7, 2006, regular-season game against the University of Connecticut in Hartford, Conn. Dominique said he does not know any students who are making the SEC Tournament trip. David Knight, SEC Director of Championship Ticket Operations, said all SEC schools are allotted 30 tickets per session. Tonight’s evening session, which includes the earlier matchup between the University of Georgia and Auburn University, will feature four SEC teams. Knight said a total 120 students will be placed behind the baskets, but if demand exceeds supply, students can purchase upper-level seats for the same $10 price. “We’ll sell out lower levels, but we won’t get close to selling out the upper sections,” Knight said. “There will probably be several thousand available.” Knight said LSU generally brings at least 30 student fans but said the University of Kentucky and the University of Florida consistently bring several hundred students. The trip to Atlanta for Kentucky and Florida fans is under six hours, while the trip from Baton Rouge to Atlanta is around eight hours. Knight said the two final teams will be allowed 60 student tickets each for the Sunday night championship game. Dominique and his fellow Lunatics – political science junior Nicholas Smith, music education senior Michael Giroir and biological sciences sophomore Logan Ramagos – attribute the lack of road support to three factors: midterms, financial difficulties and the team’s 16-14 record. “We’re saving our money for when they go to the NCAA tournament,” a partially-joking Ramagos said Tuesday at Brightside Bar & Grill while eating crawfish with the Lunatics. “Ten games and we’re national champions. Just take them one at a time. Tennessee is first.” Ramagos said realistically the group hopes to travel to the National Invitation Tournament semifinals – if LSU advances- in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Dominique and the Lunatics camped out overnight for the Jan. 6 match against UConn and the Feb. 24 game against Florida. They said they noticed a sharp decline from Jan. 6, when the Tigers were ranked No. 14 in the nation, to Feb. 24, when LSU was unranked and at the bottom of the SEC West. According to attendance records obtained from the Athletic Department, 317 more students attended the UConn game than the Florida game. Student attendance is down from the 2005-2006 Final Four-run season. “I think last year even during the Final Four run the fans could have supported the team better,” Dominique said. “If people supported the team like they did for football, in the PMAC, it would be incredible.” David Taylor, assistant director of game and event management, said student section attendance has been “pretty disappointing” this season. The regular season average per game is 860, as compared to the 1,022 average in the 2005-2006 season. The past season’s home finale against Ole Miss brought in 1,709 students in comparison to this season’s 615 student attendance for the University of South Carolina home finale game. Caleb McKenzie, the agribusiness junior Front Row Lunatic known for his dry-erase board sign, said he would go to the SEC Tournament “in a heartbeat” if he had the money and time. McKenzie said he thinks many students may be saving their money for spring break or may be busy with midterms. McKenzie also said some LSU fans may have a sense of apathy since the Tigers are not likely headed for the NCAA Tournament. “People don’t care enough,” McKenzie said. “Why would you go to the SEC Tournament if you don’t care?”
—–Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]