LEXINGTON, Ky. - The University of Kentucky Basketball Museum has shut its doors due to falling attendance and financial problems. <br />
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The museum, located in the Lexington Center near the entrance to Rupp Arena, has struggled to find an audience since opening in 1999. <br />
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Kentucky deputy athletic director Rob Mullens said Wednesday that the museum, which was not affiliated with the university, was averaging less than 25,000 visitors a year. Consultants told museum officials before it opened that 110,000 fans a year could push through the turnstiles. <br />
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Mullens said the university has decided to reallocate its annual $100,000 donation to the museum to help offset $1.2 million in debt. Mullens said the university would try to open a new fan-friendly experience at the Craft Center, the school's new basketball practice facility.
