Today, we're wondering where Arkansas' basketball fans were.

Only 2,270 fans were listed in attendance at Bud Walton Arena. And when you bill yourself as the "Basketball Palace of Mid-America" and can accommodate 20,000-plus, being a little over 10-percent full is pretty noticeable.

Judging from past fan totals, the previous low attendance the past five years was last year's exhibition opener with Campbellsville. That drew an estimated 4,500. Prior to that the low was 5,839 for a 2006-07 game against Xavier New Orleans.

Even the 2005-06 Red-White game drew 6,733. 

Looking around the league at attendance figures only exacerbates our questions about where all the people were. Kentucky drew 21,384 for its exhibition opener, while Tennessee (18,362) and Florida (8,804) also drew well.

Maybe it's not that big a deal.

Mississippi State is a consensus Top 25 team and depending on some personnel additions/subtractions could be considered a Top 10 team. The Bulldogs drew only 2,938.

Coach John Pelphrey doesn't seem worried.

"That's more than we ever got at South Alabama," Pelphrey said. I think it's the time of the year. I think we're playing basketball earlier than we ever have. Obviously football season is still in full swing. Am I surprised? I'm probably not real surprised by anything when it comes to college athletics.

"But the bottom line is we know how great our fans are."

Perhaps those fans will show up later this year. This isn't South Alabama, after all.