Yes, the bottom line isn’t hurting nearly as much right now as it did a year ago when the New Mexico Lobo men had to play the entirety of their season outside the state of New Mexico due to COVID-19 restrictions at home.
But, as fans at games or those watching on television already know, the Pit isn’t exactly as full as it once was, or even as much as the university had projected last summer it might be when it formulated this fiscal year’s budget.
During a UNM Board of Regents Finance & Facilities Committee meeting on Tuesday, athletic director Eddie Nuñez said several factors related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including the state’s indoor mask requirement and UNM’s self-imposed vaccination or negative COVID test requirement to get into games, have contributed to what could end up being a $500,000 to $600,000 shortfall on men’s basketball ticket projections.