As Danny Kulas wandered past Bailey Hall dorm rooms selling green-and-white T-shirts stating “This is madness,” the marketing freshman could only dream about making the trip to Denver for MSU’s first-round basketball game against Temple.
“I wish I could go, that’d be sweet,” Kulas said. “I don’t have the means right now.”
Even if Kulas had the cash, students looking for tickets to this year’s first- and second-round games were out of luck.
For its games in Denver, MSU was allotted 550 tickets, which were given to its official team traveling party, players’ and coaches’ families as well as donors to the program.
“We have always advocated trying to get more (tickets) for the institution,” said John Lewandowski, MSU associate athletics director for media relations.
A possible reason for the small ration of tickets is the quick turnaround from Selection Sunday to the first day of games, he said.
“Many teams don’t travel that way,” Lewandowski said. “(But) I think if there’s a way to bump that number, I hope we can do that.”
The other seven schools slated to play in Denver also were allotted 550 tickets, with the rest of the tickets for the 19,309-seat Pepsi Center going to the host city. They began selling those tickets in March 2007.
“We sold out in May of last year,” said Javan Hedlund, a spokesman for the Mountain West Conference, which is hosting the opening rounds in Denver.
A ticket to the game cost about $180 for all first- and second-round matchups.
Tickets on resale Web site www.stubhub.com ranged from $85-$177 per ticket Wednesday.
If the Spartans slide past the first round Thursday, an announcement will be made Friday regarding whether tickets for future rounds will be available to the public.
Despite the shortage of tickets, plenty of Spartan support is expected in the Mile High City.
Beverly VandenBerg, associate director of the MSU Alumni Association, was in Denver on Tuesday preparing for the traditional pre-game pep rally prior to MSU’s first game of the NCAA Tournament.
“We are expecting 500 to 600 people,” VandenBerg said.
“We’ve heard of people coming not just from this area, but New Mexico and Arizona, all over.”
The alumni association has a tradition of throwing a pep rally before MSU’s first game of the NCAA Tournament.
Education sophomore and Izzone member Eric Dionne said if he knew tickets were for sale, he might have bought them.
“We’re the students here,” Dionne said.
“If they want support, then it should be students, not the parents. They’re not the ones jumping around down there.”
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