Horizon League Tournament Details

[valpo4life]

All 200 tickets were sold within 45 minutes of opening up the desk. So it's looking to me that Saturday will be an atmosphere that there is usually at the ARC. Now if we win, Tuesday might be a little less with students most likely having to travel back to watch the game.

[vuweathernerd]

the dorms are being kept open an extra day to accommodate saturday nights game. the real effect that break housing policies will have will be for the championship game, if we play in it. i'm not too worried about saturday night.

[bbtds]

Nice job Valpo ticket office!!!!!!!!!

There's a small (proportionally to tuition) cost that goes a long way if Valpo wins Saturday night with the students attending.

You guys may not need the speedos and powder blue jackets, Stl.

[wh]

Just came back from the ARC to pick up my tickets.  The basketball facility is really shaping up:

---The small set of cheap aluminum bleachers on the east end have been replaced with a much larger steel frame bleacher support system with wooden bleachers and floor planking.  They are 7 rows high (west end bleachers are 16 rows) and extend the full width of the court (like the west end bleachers do).  They are surrounded on 3 sides by attractive railing complete with vertical slats set 3 or 4" apart.  Skirting has been installed all around the base of the bleachers.  They look very attractive and should hold close to half as many people as the west end.  This is a very nice improvement that I hope is permanent.
---Section E has been completely converted to an area for the press.  From the floor up there are 3 rows of bleachers.  A nice wooden table has been built all the way across row 4 and hard wired for 3 stations.  Going up from row 4 are 4 additional full width tables placed at every other row up to the top of the Section.  It looks very professional.
---A wooden platform, complete with decking and railing, has been built and placed in the first 2 rows of Section C (court side chair backs, center court).   It runs the full width of the Section.  Looks like very professional carpentry work.
---It appears that more banners have been taken down on the mezzanine side so people sitting in the upper rows in those sections will have better visibility of the scoreboard.  I'm not 100% certain about this, but something looks different and I think that's what it is. 

[agibson]

I was just over myself, picking up my tickets.  I didn't think to peek into the gym - thanks for the report!

I'd seen photos of Section E in the newspaper.  For the wooden platform: is it in section C (center court, but on the bleachers side), or section H (center court, chairbacks)?

I'm sure the gym will be back to its usual self after the tournament.  They've had more substantial bleachers on the east side, from time to time, in the past, right?  I suspect they're temporary.

I think my tickets are pretty good - but I can't find a seating chart!  Section C (center court, bleacher side), Row K (not sure how far up it goes?), 18 and 19 (maybe that's near the end?  but I'm not sure which end).

Overall, it looks like B, C, and the chairbacks are sold out.  With singles in A, D, and K.  There still seem to be big blocks available in the mezzanine, starting with e.g DD row JJ.  You can get nine seats together in row KK.

Another staff member came up behind me to buy four tickets.  Luke Gore happened to be in the ticket office, and was very politely fielding a chairback's complaints about the band and their seating area excursions (drum beating right in someone's ear, someone else getting bumped, etc.).  I didn't get a chance to say how much I enjoy those excursions, and how very amusing it is to see the occasional sousaphone silhouette on the video feed.

[chairback]

The platform is in section H, chairback side.  If you have seats directly behind it will be interesting if they obstruct the view.  Also, the banners have not been taken down.  But it is a good idea to do so.  Larger bleachers have been added on the concession side.

agibson that is funny about someone complaining about the band.  That is so typical for that section.  I moved out of the chairback section years ago as other "fans" would get mad if you stood up and clapped. 

[valpopal]

I think my tickets are pretty good - but I can't find a seating chart!  Section C (center court, bleacher side), Row K (not sure how far up it goes?), 18 and 19 (maybe that's near the end?  but I'm not sure which end).

These are very good. If the rows are the same as during regular games, K is the 4th row from the back of the section. My season tickets are in Row N, the last row. I think 18 and 19 are more toward section D.

[agibson]

If the rows are the same as during regular games, K is the 4th row from the back of the section. My season tickets are in Row N, the last row. I think 18 and 19 are more toward section D.

I _guess_ they'll leave the rows the same, maybe removing rows and seats as necessary, simply because the numbers are painted on them.

And, thanks, you confirm my hunch about 18 and 19.

Now N is nice!  Noone behind you, maybe a place to rest your back, etc.

There's a crew from my church that has regular tickets in row N somewhere through C, D, or E - though I didn't manage to spot them at the Butler game.

[agibson]

My season tickets are in Row N, the last row.

And, one other note.

I wonder, did they let you keep them for the tournament?

[Valpo2010]

My season tickets are in Row N, the last row.

And, one other note.

I wonder, did they let you keep them for the tournament?

My season tickets are in Section C Row N as well, we were able to keep our seats for this weekend.

[historyman]

Does anybody have any idea how many tickets were sold for the Friday session so far? How many buses are coming from Butler/Detroit/Youngstown/Milwaukee? If I read it correctly one bus is coming from Cleveland and leaving at 10:30am eastern on Saturday. That bus will leave for Cleveland from the ARC during halftime of the Valpo game on Saturday.

[DunneDeal]

We (Milwaukee) have a least 1 student bus which at last check was full at 50.  Plus, at least 5-6 car loads that I know of for Fridays game.

[agibson]

Valpo announced that (Valpo) faculty and staff could get tickets for today's games for $5 instead of $10.  So, they're making some efforts to drum up attendance.

I plan to watch at least most of the Butler-Milwaukee game.  But, probably at home, with family.

We'll see what time I get out of the office.  If I'm still on campus, maybe I'll stop by the first session.

[agibson]

From Lazerus' blog (I didn't check the time stamp).

---- The Horizon League is hoping for a big walk-up in terms of ticket sales for Friday's games -- always a tough sell every year, because the home team doesn't play. Associate commissioner Bill Benner said that more than 1,000 tickets have been sold, and with promotions -- kids under 12 get in free, there's a promotion with the local YMCA, etc. -- that they hope to get more than 2,000 in the building. As for Saturday's semifinals, tickets are going fast. He expects a particularly high demand right before the games begin. "If you're planning to wait, don't wait," Benner said. "Get them now."

I'd forgotten kids were free.  I might bring the family out for the first one...

[valporun]

Will anyone be here to chat during tonight's games, or are any of you interested in chatting about the games tonight? I'll plan to be here, and I'll be here tomorrow too.

[agibson]

They're really pushing tonight's games.  I just got an email from the Valpo YMCA offering 2-for-1 adult tickets for tonight.  As well as the kids 12 and under free.

There seems to have been a big rush on tickets for Saturday - I'm not sure what happened.  It's almost like they took a bunch off sale?  Or, I guess, there was just another big rush of advance purchases.

For two seats together on Saturday, you're now in row _XX_ of the mezzanine (can be section BB).  You can get a single as low as row BB.  There seem to be seats remaining (even singles) only in AA, BB, and DD.

[Cletus]

What's the story with tickets for Tuesday? Are they waiting until the result is known tomorrow before they go on sale or were they part of a package for the whole tournament?

[agibson]

They've been available for pre-order, and presumably still are. The first note in this thread has a little info.

You can place an order now (well, they might be a little busy _right_ now; but maybe tomorrow morning?) by phone or fax.  If Valpo hosts, they'll execute it. 

Or, maybe after tomorrow's game, they'll open it up for online sales.

[wh]

 ;)Detroit is up by 16 over YSU at halftime.  If they keep playing like this, there's only one other team left in the tournament that can stop them.  Fortunately, it happens to be us.   

[vuweathernerd]

Will anyone be here to chat during tonight's games, or are any of you interested in chatting about the games tonight? I'll plan to be here, and I'll be here tomorrow too.

i may well poke my head into the chatroom during the butler/milwaukee game

[vuweathernerd]

props given to valpo by will haskett on twitter, calling it "Best environment for a 2nd round HL tourney session since the format switch, in my opinion."

[vuweathernerd]

just pulled up the hln broadcast, and apparently there's now a video display on the front of the scorer's table instead of the old rolling poster display. does that belong to the conference? or is that ours to keep??

[KL31NY]

More high praise from HLN's Joel Cornette; mentioned during halftime of the BU/UWM game that it's been a "first class" experience with the tournament here so far, and also said "to bring the earplugs" for Saturday's nightcap... which might not be a bad idea 

[agibson]

It was pretty loud tonight, but a lot of that was the PA! It's loud in the chairbacks!  (General Admission, so we decided to investigate how the other half lives.)

And a lot of the rest was YSU's excellent pep band.  Great low brass, they lead cheers, great horn flashes, etc, etc.  Very impressive.

I didn't try any kind of careful estimate, but I could imagine easily 1,000 for the first game, with more Butler fans drifting in as the game went.  The bottom ball was maybe roughly half full.  Maybe somewhat less than that.

They look pretty well setup for tomorrow.  Bonus concession stands (I don't think they're normally there?) in the NW corner, on both floors.

I saw Jeremy Montgomery (hard to miss), but didn't notice other CSU or Valpo players.  Jake, Luke, and Roger were walking from the chairback-side, court-side, media table for the first half.  And then moved to the NE corner for the second.  Bryce apparently gave an interview during halftime of the Butler game, but ESPN3 didn't seem to carry it.

I didn't expect two 20 point wins tonight, for sure!

[agibson]

Haskett's at it again

2,239 the attendance at the ARC tonight. Again, I emphasize: Best 2nd round atmosphere I've seen in an HL tourney since 2003 format switch

And tickets continue to sell.  If you want two together, if you want two together it's section BB row ZZ, section CC row PP or worse.

Even a single seems to be well up: section CC row PP or so, again.  It might well sell out tomorrow (whether or not every seat will actually be taken at the _same_ time during the two game session is a little doubtful, of course).

Do we get any kind of a cut?  Or a lump some payment, or anything, from the league?