There was no Alfordville sprouting up outside Pauley Pavilion starting Friday night because, well, it’s not allowed.
UCLA students were prohibited from camping out, or even lining up outside the building before 10 a.m. for the 1 p.m. Pacific time game. Giffin showed up at 5:30 a.m. anyway; before long, he was leading a pack of several hundred diehard students who were ordered to wait atop a nearby hill.
By 10 a.m., a line five people thick crawled all the way up the hill, probably counting several thousand students, on a notably unbalmy (45-50 degrees) Southern California morning.
“It was cold, but it was OK,” said UCLA student Shane Taleinsnick, who showed up at 7 a.m.
The student crowd didn't grow just because Arizona was in town, either. UCLA junior Joey Levin, dressed in a bear onesie, said even Thursday night’s UCLA-ASU game drew a similarly large lineup of student fans.
“People are very excited,” Levin said. “Last year you could show up an hour before the game and get good seat. This year if you show up an hour before the game you won't get a seat.”
