UCLA Basketball: Guerrero Speechless As Attendance Plummets at Pauley

Chris Foster reports what we have been discussing here at BN -- UCLA basketball fans are staying away from Steve Alford's stale program

UCLA, which does not release the number of tickets used, announced an average of 9,549 last season, an increase of nearly 1,800 from the previous season at Pauley Pavilion. The attendance tumbled this season.

The Bruins announced an average attendance of 8,136, though the 13,800-seat arena appeared between half and two-thirds full for most games despite an aggressive ticket selling campaign.

UCLA officials attributed the higher attendance last season to the renovated arena. If so, the novelty wore off.

Alford's boss had no words when he was asked about the state of the UCLA basketball program:

Dan Guerrero, UCLA's athletic director, declined a request to be interviewed about the coaching change. A year ago, he said the program needed a "fresh start."

Even for Chianti it's tough to defend a product that's uninspiring, ugly and reeks of nepotism.