March 15, 2001
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - With the Purdue women's basketball team playing in the NCAA Tournament this weekend and the men playing next Tuesday in the National Invitation Tournament at Mackey Arena, fans are being encouraged to pick up their tickets early.
"Tournament time is unique in that we have just a few days to inform our fans and for them to get their tickets," said Jay Cooperider, director of communications for Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics. "If we mailed tickets, they would not reach the fans in time, so all tickets must be picked up at the Athletic Ticket Office."
The Purdue women's basketball team takes on UC Santa Barbara at 9:05 p.m. Friday. That game follows the Arizona State-LSU match-up at 6 p.m. The finals of the sub-regional will be played at 9 p.m. Sunday.
The men's team will play Auburn on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in a second-round NIT game.
Although tickets can be purchased at the ticket office in the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, many fans call (800) 49-SPORT or (765) 494-3194 to order tickets.
"We want Boilermaker fans to use the option that's most convenient for them," Cooperider said. "But we also want people in their seats at tipoff if at all possible.
"Although it involves two trips to campus, it also makes it so at game time fans can head straight into Mackey Arena and be assured of not missing any of the action."
On Wednesday night, dozens of fans were in line to pick up tickets they already had paid for at the "will call" window minutes before the start of the Purdue men's team NIT game against Illinois State. Ordinarily, those fans would have received their tickets in the mail or picked them up earlier.
"If all fans wait until shortly before the game they want to see to pick up tickets, many won't have reached the ticket window by game time," Cooperider said.
For the three NCAA games this weekend and the NIT game Tuesday, the ticket office will employ a new traffic flow to avoid the bottleneck experienced Wednesday.
Fans who need to buy tickets will be directed to the lobby of the ticket office, and those picking up tickets they already paid for will be directed to the main hallway of the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility. John Purdue Club members still will have access to the IAF gym for refreshments, and they will be asked to show their club membership cards for women's games and VIP passes for men's games to gain admission.
Signs will be posted and department staff will assist fans.
The new traffic flow will be in effect at 5 p.m. Friday, four hours before the start of the Purdue-UCSB game and again at least two hours before the Sunday NCAA second-round game at Mackey Arena. The same system also will be in place at least two hours before the men's NIT game on Tuesday.