Playing in KC means advantage for KU, expensive tickets for fans

Kansas seniors Landen Lucas and Tyler Self have been part of 23 basketball games at the Sprint Center since enrolling at Kansas five years ago, so they knew what to expect Wednesday when they took the floor for an open practice.

Still, the cheers that greeted the Jayhawks left several players nodding as they looked into the stands and saw blue spread across the arena’s lower bowl.

Most of these sessions take place in front of sparse, quiet crowds. This felt like a pep rally.

“Kansas City will always stand out to KU, just because we can think of it as a home court,” said Self, the son of Kansas coach Bill Self. “Hopefully, we will have a ton of fans show up and bring a lot of energy, a lot of noise. That is something we like to see in the tournament. There is so little room for error, anything that can help you is beneficial.”

Playing games at the Sprint Center falls in that category.

“We’re all very comfortable,” Lucas, a senior forward, said. “Even just walking into the locker room right now, we’re familiar with everything. We’ve been here so many times. We’re happy to be here in front of our fans, and it’s definitely an advantage we’re happy about.”

The advantage is obvious. No. 1 seed Kansas will face No. 4 seed Purdue at about 8:39 p.m. on Thursday a short drive east of Lawrence. Purdue, No. 7 seed Michigan and No. 3 seed Oregon, the other teams playing in the Kansas City regional this week, all flew here from several states away.

Kansas has a record of 20-3 in this building over the past five years, and a giant Jayhawk graces midcourt when they play here each December. Michigan, Oregon and Purdue tested the rims for the first time on Wednesday.

“I feel really fortunate,” KU coach Bill Self said. “I feel great about our team playing the second weekend, of course having the opportunity to stay in the area and play in Kansas City. It’s a big bonus for us.”

A bonus for the KU basketball team also means a headache for some KU basketball fans. Demand for tickets will be higher than supply, which should make for some interesting negotiations on the secondary market.

As of Wednesday evening, the cheapest ticket available for Thursday’s games was $329. The seat was in the upper deck behind the basket. Lower-level seats started at $450.

Those prices make Kansas City the hottest ticket in the NCAA Tournament this week. Seats to the East Regional in New York were going for as low as $255, the West Regional in San Jose, Calif., for $109 and in the South Regional in Memphis for $119.

Some fans may have opted to attend Wednesday’s free practice to soak up the atmosphere and then return home to watch the games.

The NCAA allots 1,000 tickets for each participating school in the Sweet 16, and the majority of the Jayhawks’ tickets were reserved for their high-level donors. And ticket demand would have been even higher had Iowa State completed its comeback attempt against Purdue in the round of the 32.

One way or another, the Jayhawks should see more blue on Thursday.

“We’re in Kansas City, which is big,” KU guard Devonte Graham said. “It feels like we’re at home, and it’s kind of like playing a home game.”

This story was originally published March 22, 2017 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Playing in KC means advantage for KU, expensive tickets for fans."