UA head coach Lute Olson expressed his concern over an 85 percent empty student section in the team’s first two exhibition games Nov. 4 and Nov. 8.

“”We’ve worked too hard to get that area,”” Olson said by phone Sunday night. “”I know there have been midterms and all of that. It’s been disappointing, though, during the exhibition season that other than floor level, it seems like we haven’t been really getting the students there.””

The new system, which allows students to purchase tickets for individual games at a cost of $10, was put into effect this year with poor results against both Team Georgia and Victoria, as less than 400 students attended against Victoria and slightly more than 400 turned out against Team Georgia in a section that seats just under 2,600.

“”We really worked hard for a lot of years down in that one section, and we really need to have their support,”” Olson said.

Olson said he did not want to see those seats sold to the general public as a result of poor attendance.

“”What’s going to end up happening is students are going to end up losing some of those (seats) because they could sell a lot of those to the general public, and that’s what I’m concerned about, is that we don’t lose those students.””

Students cited higher ticket prices and low-level opponents as reasons for not attending the first two exhibition games.

“”When they’re charging a flat rate for ticket prices across the board for every single game and playing Team Georgia, a team that’s not probably going to be as much competition for U of A, there’s not as much a point to going to see the game,”” said Kendric Blanchard, a junior majoring in political science and economics.

The lottery system last season forced winning students to buy season tickets or face not going to games.

Blanchard said he went to both exhibition games last season but stayed away from McKale Center during either game this year.

“”At that point, you were already forced to buy the ticket if you won them,”” he said. “”It was either you could lose the $6 you paid at that point if you paid for the game, or you could make it worth it and go to the game.””