DES MOINES, IOWA - Fans interested in attending the Drake men's basketball NCAA Tournament first-round game next week should have little trouble in obtaining tickets once they arrive at their destination but purchasing tickets from Drake Athletics is restricted because Drake University will only receive between 350-550 tickets regardless of which site the Bulldogs are sent when the pairings are announced on Sunday.
Right of first refusal on up to four tickets to the first-round NCAA tournament game is a benefit of membership for Champions Club members (multi-year $5,000 & Up donors) and there are 40 Champions Club members at that level (160 tickets).
Drake's limited supply of NCAA Tournament tickets are earmarked for the families of the coaches and players (approximately 100 tickets); Drake students (55 tickets); selected University administration and their families and selected working Athletics Department administration and their families. All remaining tickets will be distributed through the Drake Athletics Priority Point System (DAPPS).
Individuals selected via this system will be allowed to purchase a maximum of two tickets until all tickets are distributed.
Individuals who wish to be considered for ticket opportunities through the Drake block should log on to www.godrakebulldogs.com and click on NCAA Tournament information logo on the left hand side of the home page. Interested individuals will then enter all of their pertinent information and submit the ticket request form to Drake Athletics via the website. All forms must be submitted online. Please note that submitting the form does not guarantee tickets.
Fans and supporters who are not successful in obtaining tickets from the Drake Athletics allotment are encouraged to use the information listed below to obtain tickets. More information on all eight of the possible first and second-round sites can be found at http://www.ncaasports.com.
Fans can take advantage of the following options to obtain tickets:
?Internet
?Contacting other schools also sent to the same site as Drake or by traveling to Drake's game site
?Contacting a third party vendor or company that supplies tickets
Fans should also know that even for those venues listed below as SOLD OUT, single-session tickets may be made available by the venue box office on the morning of the open practice due to participating institutions choosing to not utilize their entire ticket allotment.
Just make sure to keep checking GoDrakeBulldogs.com for the latest information on NCAA Tournament tickets.
Honda Center, Anaheim, Calif. (Thursday and Saturday, March 20 & 22)
Phone: 714/704-2500
Web site: www.hondacenter.com
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colo. (Thursday and Saturday, March 20 & 22)
Ticket Info: SOLD OUT
Phone: 719/487-2479
Web site: themwc.cstv.com
Qwest Center Omaha, Omaha, Neb. (Thursday and Saturday, March 20 & 22)
Ticket Info: SOLD OUT
Phone: 402/599-6818
Web Site: www.qwestcenteromaha.com
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. (Thursday and Saturday, March 20 & 22)
Ticket Info: SOLD OUT
Phone: 202/784-6222
Web site: http://guhoyas.cstv.com/ot/gu-08-ncaa-tournament.html
BJCC Arena, Birmingham, Ala. (Friday and Sunday, March 21 & 23)
Phone: 800/732-4849
Web site: www.southtix.com
Alltel Arena, Little Rock, Ark. (Friday and Sunday, March 21 & 23)
Host: University of Arkansas-Little Rock
Ticket Info: SOLD OUT
Phone: 501/975-9000
Web site: http://ualrtrojans.com/fls/7400/ncaa/
RBC Center, Raleigh, N.C. (Friday and Sunday, March 21 & 23)
Phone: 919/865-1510
Web site: http://www.gopack.com/fls/9200/2008ncaadiv1/index.html
St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Fla. (Friday and Sunday, March 21 & 23)
Phone: 813/301-2500
Web site: www.sptimesforum.com/ncaa2008
