LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The on-court struggles of the University of Louisville's men's basketball team has meant a lot of empty seats in the KFC Yum! Center. And fewer people on gamedays means less business for some downtown Louisville restaurants and bars.

Louisville's last home game against Arkansas State brought a little more than 4,000 people into an arena that seats more than 22,000.

"We shouldn't be dependent on how well the basketball team does for our business, but, in this city, Louisville basketball is a staple," said George Timmering, who owns Bearno's Pizza on Main Street near the Yum! Center.

Timmering, along with other businesses in the downtown area near the Yum! Center, believe the success of the basketball team correlates with the amount of business coming through the doors of bars and restaurants. He said they're only serving about half of the people it regularly would on a Cardinals gameday.

"We're used to there being 15,000-20,000 people next door before ballgames and we get our slice of the pie, so to speak, and a chunk of that crowd will come here before and after the games," Timmering said. "The pie has gotten smaller over the past couple years."

After a four-win season last year, Louisville began this fall 4-6 with back-to-back losses in the last week to teams with a combined record of 6-14. In a little more than a full season, Kenny Payne has a record of 8-34. Every Louisville permanent head coach since 1944 has had a winning record during their tenure.

Since 2015, the program has faced NCAA sanctions, including the loss of the 2013 national title and vacated wins as the result of the Katina Powell sex parties scandal involving recruits and players.

Meanwhile, the 2017 FBI "pay-for-play" investigation into Louisville and other college basketball programs led to the ouster of former head coach Rick Pitino.

UofL has had two permanent head coaches since then, but the program has fallen far from its traditional place among the NCAA's elite.

Attendance at Louisville men's games was 129,205 during the 2022-23 season, down 7% from the prior year and a drop of 71% from the highest annual attendance listed in the report: 443,320 in 2015-16.

And, as a result, the amount of money spent inside the arena during those games has plummeted from a high of $5.4 million in 2016-17 to a low of $2.2 million in 2022-23, excluding the first years of the pandemic.

Overall, total spending on arena tickets and purchases inside the building have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, according to a recent study commissioned by Louisville Tourism and completed by Chicago-based Hunden Partners.

"It's definitely been down the last couple of years, comparatively speaking, to previous years when they were winning," said Wayne Sweeney, director of operations at Merle's Whiskey Kitchen downtown.

Sweeney said they don't rely on business from Louisville fans coming to eat and drink before and after games but he called it an added bonus.

On Sunday, Louisville hosts Pepperdine at the Yum! Center, and Merle's is opening up for fans on a day the restaurant is normally closed. Those at Merle's are among other business leaders hoping that the support for the team will continue regardless of its success.

"Come out and support the team," Sweeney said. "Stop by and get yourself a little (beverage) before you head over, but come support these kids. They need it."

Louisville has two remaining home games, against Pepperdine and Kentucky, before the end December.

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