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Anyone actually at that game to verify this????

Even with the limited amount of attractions in El Paso - I don't know why so many would show up to watch SMU-UTEP . . .

There are probably 3 reasons. First is force of habit. There are about 5,000 people who have been going to UTEP games for years, and they are still going now, regardless of the team having a bad season. They still support their team, because thats what they have always done. The 6,500 fans were a little a bove their season average, but not by much. They actually drew much, much larger crowds for New Mexico State and Texas Tech.
Secondly, we're a team from the same state, reasonably nearby (at least when compare to the rest of the WAC) and a school that their fans may percieve as a rival, similar to Tech or NMSU.
Thirdly, they had their biggest win of the year on Thursday night. They didnt just beat Tech, they won big. That may have raised the interest level, given their fans some hope for improved performance.

The biggest factor was probably the first one. Their fans have supported the team for decades, and one year (even one this bad) isnt going to drive them away. They've drawn at least 5,000 people for every game this year, over 10,000 for Texas Tech.

You bet I was there last night, and I'd say 6,500 was a high estimate. Those things are hard to guess, but I'd say somewhere around 4,500 or 5,000 would be more accurate. Probably on the lower end.

For those who weren't there, here's my impressions from last night.

I hadn't seen the Ponies play all year, except little clips on TV, and those have been rare. So I've been following the team through this site, basically. I guess I thought Quinton Ross would come in and throw up 40 points, and that Bryan Hopkins would run circles around the Miners. As you all know, that didn't happen. What I did see, however, was a very balanced offense (Ross, Hopkins, Kris Lowe and Justin Isham, I think, all reached double figures). UTEP was mugging Ross all night, which contributed to his less-than-perfect shooting night. But he looked extremely poised, took his beating in the lane and used the attention he was receiving to find an open man. He passed very well, which I guess is pretty normal for him.

More importantly, the Ponies played great defense. St. Amant scored 16, but he was shooting all night. UTEP threw up some 3-pointers that they might as well have punted up there, they were so far out. And I saw in the paper that UTEP shot only 30% from the field. That kind of defense will bode well for the Ponies in the WAC tournament. UTEP isn't a great team, by any stretch, but I still was impressed with SMU's defense.

Good job last night!

Thanks for the support! I, for one think we are having a much better night when we have a balanced offense. If everyone is scoring and we're playing good defense, we can beat anyone in the WAC.