Friday night's men's basketball game against Marquette is arguably the biggest game of the year to date, so the question lingers: Will it be sold out?
At stake is first place ranking in the Conference USA.
The Tigers are the hottest team in the conference and a good crowd and an impressive win could be the fuel for a possible National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament consideration.
Men's basketball sports information director, Ron Mears said that tickets are moving fast enough to avoid a marketing push to get people to the game.
The University of Memphis ticket office confirmed Wednesday that only about 120 tickets remain.
Head coach John Calipari issued a challenge to students and fans Saturday after Memphis's 76-73 overtime win at University of Alabama Birmingham.
Calipari said he would be very disappointed if all 20,000 Pyramid seats are not filled.
He said he also expects the students to be outside waiting in line three hours before tip-off.
The challenge has been made to students, faculty and fans, so what will the atmosphere be like Friday night?
Tamika Whitmore, former U of M Lady Tiger and member of the Women's National Basketball Association's New York Liberty, said she plans to attend Friday's matchup and is optimistic about Calipari and the team's recent success.
"I like the way they are playing right now," Whitmore said. "This is the first time in years that they have actually played team ball."
Whitmore also said she likes the idea of Calipari challenging the students to attend games because it gives the program much needed support.
Junior Tim Swift said he will attend the game but that a lot of reasons factor into students failing to attend games.
"Most people don't live on campus and a lot of people are here from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. so some people don't know what's going on," Swift said. "I would be surprised if the whole student section was filled Friday."
Willie Murray, graphic design major, said he is not a sports fan and that there is nothing the athletic department could do to get him to attend a game.
"Some people just don't care about sports," Murray said.
Swift also agrees that apathy plays a major role in students' attendance at games.
Whitmore added that apathy is also a problem, but some people cannot attend games because of transportation problems or jobs.
Whitmore said she is pleased with the team's ability to rally during this mid-season winning streak.
"I think it says a lot about Calipari, because you want to get the respect of the players and the students as well," Whitmore said.
