Question for Eric about 2008 NCAA tournament

[tbbulls]

hey Eric I got my information on how to order the ncaa tickets in the mail the other day it states that USF season ticket holders will have a a better chance of getting tickets and or better seats if done through this form it also states that you can do it online and over the phone. My question is if this goes directly to the sptimes forum ticket office how will they know the difference between a usf season ticket holder that has priority or just a general public purchase I dont see a difference in the application for tickets.

thanks

tbbulls

[Omniscientbull]

Eric - I have not recieved anything regarding the tickets.  Did you receive my change of address that I emailed you previously?

[NAM37]

Do we have any idea where the seats are?  I'm not excited about paying $200 to sit at the top of the Ice Palace.

[Bobcat99]

If the attendance at this year's ACC is any sign, getting tickets up until game day for the NCAAs won't be a problem.

I bought tickets directly from Gaylord Center in Nashville for the first two rounds there, then sold off the sessions I didn't need to Louisville fans. I don't think there will be any problems in obtaining tickets to the NCAA tournament.

Also, all tickets are $50 per session ($150 for the weekend, you have to buy all three sessions) regardless of where your seats are; the seats closest to the action are reserved to the four schools engaging in each session. The general public doesn't get the best seats, unless you buy yours from a school like Northwestern State that won't be bringing many fans (but you'd also only get a ticket to that session, so you'd only see two of the six games.)

[80mins]

If the attendance at this year's ACC is any sign, getting tickets up until game day for the NCAAs won't be a problem.

I bought tickets directly from Gaylord Center in Nashville for the first two rounds there, then sold off the sessions I didn't need to Louisville fans. I don't think there will be any problems in obtaining tickets to the NCAA tournament.

Also, all tickets are $50 per session ($150 for the weekend, you have to buy all three sessions) regardless of where your seats are; the seats closest to the action are reserved to the four schools engaging in each session. The general public doesn't get the best seats, unless you buy yours from a school like Northwestern State that won't be bringing many fans (but you'd also only get a ticket to that session, so you'd only see two of the six games.)

I wouldn't use ACC tourney as a gauge necessarily; every team in the ACC goes to the tournament and does every year, so even in one of the most basketball-mad conferences in the nation, the tournament becomes a matter of convenience, and traveling to Tampa isn't particularly convenient for a decent chunk of the conference, particularly if they're looking to make plans to travel to first/second round or regional action in the coming weeks as many of the teams in conference were. By contrast, the Big Dance itself is something everyone can get excited about, whether those schools' fan bases or local folks who want to catch the games. I wouldn't expect for walk-up tickets to be available.

[tbbulls]

wasent the ACC tournament sold out and not even open to public sales?

[Bobcat99]

I wouldn't expect for walk-up tickets to be available.

I'm just telling you my own experiences. Nashville has a much longer basketball history than Tampa does, and a smaller arena, and yet tickets were easily available to the public. I don't believe it sold out until the day before the tournament started.

You're forgetting that people are, in general, cheap. Now, it's possible UF gets to play in the Tampa pod, which means their fan base will grow a great deal. But asking people to put up $150 is still a lot of money (and many don't want to bother with the hassle of finding someone to sell the other session ticket to)...

Anyway, if I'm not there, I'll be in Las Vegas, but I don't forsee this being a problem. Louisville has great fans and is not far from Nashville and those tickets were easily available. I understand Gator bandwagoners are larger in numbers (in 2005, they only brought about 100 people to Nashville; we had 3,000) now that they're winning, but I don't know how well the bandwagoners travel.

[80mins]

wasent the ACC tournament sold out and not even open to public sales?

ACC's tournament has been unavailable to public sales (they sell exclusively through the member institutions) for some time now, but it was clear to see that tickets were available.

[NAM37]

I was told by several people that good tickets were available very cheap outside the door.

[80mins]

I wouldn't expect for walk-up tickets to be available.

I'm just telling you my own experiences. Nashville has a much longer basketball history than Tampa does, and a smaller arena, and yet tickets were easily available to the public. I don't believe it sold out until the day before the tournament started.

You're forgetting that people are, in general, cheap. Now, it's possible UF gets to play in the Tampa pod, which means their fan base will grow a great deal. But asking people to put up $150 is still a lot of money (and many don't want to bother with the hassle of finding someone to sell the other session ticket to)...

Anyway, if I'm not there, I'll be in Las Vegas, but I don't forsee this being a problem. Louisville has great fans and is not far from Nashville and those tickets were easily available. I understand Gator bandwagoners are larger in numbers (in 2005, they only brought about 100 people to Nashville; we had 3,000) now that they're winning, but I don't know how well the bandwagoners travel.

Fair enough. They went quickly here, but then, I live in North Carolina.