Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Hoosiers to host Wildcats this weekend

The Indiana Basketball Hoosiers will be home this Saturday to face one of their fiercest rivals from that state to the south, the Kentucky Wildcats. Border wars are never pretty, and that is generally the case when these two teams match-up in their annual December battle. The IU-Kentucky game is typically played on a neutral court, with each team receiving an equal amount of tickets to distribute amongst their fans. Games would alternate between the RCA Dome in Indianapolis and Freedom Hall in Louisville. However, last season due to a scheduling conflict at Freedom Hall, the game had to be moved to Lexington. In an unpopular decision amongst Hoosier fans, the UK brass decided that they would only provide 100 tickets to IU as opposed to the standard 50/50 split. This season, to balance things out, the game will be played at Assembly Hall, and we are returning the favor. This game has been the hottest ticket in recent IU basketball memory, some selling in excess of $600 for a single seat. IU and UK have each made recent coaching changes with IU hiring Kelvin Sampson after the end of the 2005-06 season and UK hiring Billy Gillespie after last season. Gillespie earned himself a reputation as an excellent recruiter at his prior gig for Texas A&M, whereas Sampson landed the biggest in-state recruit in Eric Gordon that IU has kept home since perhaps the days of Calbert Cheaney. This game is more than just a number in the win-loss column. It is a battle for bragging rights amongst fans, as well as a bargaining piece used to recruit since many prime targets in the region will be sought after by both schools. After a few months of chasing after tickets to this game, I finally secured a pair this evening that will put me in row 15 of the student section in the main level. I can also proudly say that I paid less than $100 per ticket. Who says it doesn't pay to keep a student ID after you graduate? This is going to be an amazing atmosphere and I just can not wait for Saturday to get here. In anticipation of this game, I will provide a more in depth preview later in the week. Check back soon for the update!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Totally jacked about our tickets. Cant wait. No better way to miss the company christmas party