Pauley Pavilion hosts final basketball game ticket campout before renovations

Saturday marks UCLA men’s basketball’s last game of the year in Pauley Pavilion.

Tonight’s campout for priority basketball seats is the last chance students will have to celebrate their team in the same building before Pauley Pavilion closes for renovation for a year.

Emily Resnick, Undergraduate Students Association Council general representative, and her office are partnering with the Campus Events Commission and the Den to host tonight’s campout at Pauley Pavilion before Saturday’s game against the University of Arizona.

“We really wanted to spice up the camp out and get a lot of students together so they could get pumped for the big game,” said David Bocarsly, chief of staff for Resnick’s office and a second-year undeclared student.

Since Pauley Pavilion is closing for a year, tonight’s campout is particularly significant, said Chris Underhill, a second-year mechanical engineering student.

“Campouts seem to be one of those college basketball experiences that you have to do at least once,” Underhill said.

“With Pauley closing, this is somewhat of a final opportunity for a while.”

Originally scheduled to start at 6 p.m. in Drake Stadium, the event will now begin at 7 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion due to concerns about rainy weather, said Courtney LaKroix, director of spirit events of Resnick’s office and a fourth-year English student.

The event will feature a DJ from KROQ, trivia games, raffles and giveaways, Resnick said.

CEC will play a screening of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1″ and a cappella group Bruin Harmony will perform.

Potential prizes include UCLA BearWear clothing and a basketball autographed by the UCLA men’s basketball team.

“This event is a great opportunity for students to come out and support athletics while also getting the chance to win a ton of prizes and have fun,” LaKroix said.

The Den President, Elan Bigknife, said he expects the event will be emotional for many long-time supporters of Bruin athletics.

“We’re hoping to see a lot of faces there, especially since it might be the last campout ever,” said Bigknife, a fifth-year aerospace engineering student. “It’s celebrating the culmination of a pretty good season this year and number of historic wins over the years in Pauley Pavilion.”

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