The Pit prepares to begin season under construction

Posted at: 11/02/2009 7:02 PM | Updated at: 11/02/2009 7:14 PM
By: Stuart Dyson, Eyewitness News 4; Charlie Pabst, KOB.com

How do you have a major college basketball season in an arena that's only halfway through a $60 million renovation? That's the problem facing UNM.

While The Pit does look like a war zone right now, most fans attending Tuesday night's game against New Mexico Highlands won't see much of it.

Tunnels and dust-wall walkways will guide fans through the construction zones, masking much of the work in progress. The job won't be done until this time next year.

The court and main seating area are good to go—just the way they've been since The Pit first opened its doors 43 years ago.

Heated and lit-up concession stands and portable toilets will be outside, which will throw some fans for a loop—but there will be some concessions on the concourse inside for those who don't want to brave the cold to get their Lobo Dog.

When it's all done, The Pit will have a new all-glass main entrance with views of the mountains and the city. There will be luxury suites and a clubhouse section, all new restrooms and concessions. That's a long way from the old hole in the ground that has served UNM so well for more than four decades.

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