WisePies Arena aka ‘The Pit’

This is one of the greatest college basketball venues in the country. I have watched college ball at many arenas in the Big10, Pac12, Mountain West and Big East. The atmosphere of the pit coupled with the loyalty of the fan base make this a must see arena for a Lobos bball game!

If you are a college basketball fan, this is truly a place you have to visit. The layout is unique and the atmosphere is invigorating. It was a great experience!

Great experience.

Having gone to a number of NCAA basketball game and being a season ticket holder of the Maryland Terrapins, I’ve been some really good venues. Like Cole Field House, you enter at the top of stadium and walk down to your seats. Hence, the Pit. I’ve seen better places. Fans are loyal and loud.

Really a 4.5. Only reason it’s not a 5 is the PA system tends to be cranked up a little too loud and the HVAC system is uneven in various seating areas.
Classic Basketball Arena that’s recently gone through a $ 60 million + renovation. UNM got ride of the outdated and kinda skuzzy mezzanine and replaced them with luxury boxes. Not a bad seat in the house.
The Pit sells to near capacity for almost all the men’s games and used to get pretty good crowds for the women’s games. Lobo fans are reasonable well behaved and support their teams well.
Seating is a combination of benches (majority) and seat backs (large number of season tix holders). If your on the bleachers, bring a bleacher chair or rent one from the Cheer/​Dance squads. Not expensive and goes to their programs.
The sky boxes are up there but still offer a nice view with some nice amenities.
Everyone’s a Lobo! Wolf, wolf, wolf!

15,000 fans, 1 mile high and louder than…
Hands down, The Pit is THE BEST place in the nation to watch a college basketball game.
The crowd. No matter the opponent, Lobo fans show up and make noise, lots of noise. On numerous occasions, refs have blown their whistles and even the players are not able to hear. The crowd is a 6^th man.
The facility. Recently renovated, The Pit has first class amenities, good food, and great seats. There’s not a bad seat in the house.
The team. Lobos always come ready to play.

This is not my favorite place to see a concert. Although the newly remodeled arena is perfect for basketball games, the 360 degree arena is not suited for a concert – unless, of course, it comes with a rotating stage. I recently saw George Straight and Martine McBride here and ¹⁄₅ of the audience was behind the stage. Martina was great and walked around the stage to greet them but George Straight stayed firmly rooted to his stool, facing forward. My sister and I were lucky to have better seats facing the stage but I cannot imagine how I would have felt paying to see George’s back.
We enjoyed the concert but the lines to the merchandize table were a mess and right in the middle of the pathway to the «beer garden» so it was impossible to get to. Like any concert venue, the parking lot was a mess after the show. Maybe the arena should stick to sports.

Growing up in this state you inevitably hear about how great The Pit is, and the history, and yadda yadda yadda. I had never been to a game there, and once inside I realized what all the hoopla was about. It’s a friggin’ awesome sports venue.
Holds 15,000 folks, and it gets LOUD. Rabid fan base, and great seats from just about anywhere. Honestly, you’ve got to come in here to believe it.
Gots all the amenities you need (bathrooms/​snack areas), easily accessible. Parking can be a little bit of a hike if you show up late and/​or you don’t have a pass for the closer lots. That being said, it’s still all good at The Pit.

Not only is this the best sports venue in New Mexico, it’s one of the best I’ve ever been to. The noise level in here at last night’s game versus USC was jsut insane. It was deafening. I brought my infant daughter and I was scared to death throughout the game that I was going to permanently damage her hearing.
The price for our seats was decent at $ 24, but as the vendor at the ticket booth pointed out (BUY YOUR TICKETS AT THE BOOTH AND NOT ONLINE, SAVE YOURSELF THE $ 10 IN FEES), there’s really not a bad seat in the house. We felt quite close up despite being maybe twenty or thirty rows back, and we could see and feel every play practically as if we were on the court. I would say that it’s probably wise to find one of those seat backs that people lug to games because the majority of the seating is of the bench variety.
Anyways, it’s really just a great, intimate venue with great and respectful and friendly fans. Last night’s game and the Lobos’ success made me proud to live in Albuquerque and I look forward to attending other games and seeing them make it deep into the NCAA tournament.

So, I’ve lived down the street from The Pit for several years and tonight was my first visit. Yay, Midnight Howl on ESPN! What a fun time in a great arena!
My only issue… the fans, a bit lame. The student section yelled a decent amount, but… well, I’m from Oklahoma and we know how to support our teams. The only relationship I have to UNM is calling ABQ my chosen home, but I think I screamed louder than most of the other fans. And it was an awesome, amazing game (and did I mention I don’t care for basketball?!). Oh, and walking back to the truck, we yelled, «Everyone’s a Lobo…» and only a few faint «woof, woof, woof» replied. Really!!!
So I’m not disappointed in the arena (super nice), I’m disappointed in the enthusiasm from the fans. But maybe I’m just used to something more???
Regardless, a totally fun night with above average crowd support (but could have gone from an 8 to a 10 easily!)… I’m hoarse at the moment.
WOOF, WOOF, WOOF!

Plenty of restrooms, fast lines for concessions, and a insane atmosphere for Lobo Basketball. That’s all I have to say.
Go Lobos.

THE BEST AND LOUDEST arena to watch college basketball in the country. If you are not wearing your cherry red and rooting the Lobos on, dont even bother showing up. You WILL get booed. Especially by the student section, Section Y & Z.

UNM vs Creighton. One of the best comebacks ever! Jesus this place can get loud. Lobo fans, there is no reason ever why any Lobo team should lose at home.

Pack into the Pit with the Lobos to view the spectacular dunks of J.R. Giddens who made his career high of 36 points at the WY Cowboy game. Add to that the two back-​to-​back wins which netted a combined 85 points over the last two opponents and kudos to the first-​year coach, Steve Alford, for his talented work.
While you are watching all these records stock pile, grab a delicious bite of goodness such as a Lobo Dog, some Nachos, Twizzlers, or Hot Tamales! Then, head back to your seat to enjoy this treat and catch the live half-​time fun! You just might grab a wave from Lobo Louie or his counterpart, Lobo Lucy. At the least, you’ll have an exciting night with your family and friends.
There’ll be even more activity with plans to remodel the Pit beginning in Summer 2008. We aren’t the Pros, but we’re where ABQ goes!