Ticket Demand for Big 12 Tourney at an All-time High
Ticket Demand for Big 12 Basketball Tournament
Following a competitive and dramatic 2014 regular season, the Big 12 will look to crown a conference champion this weekend in Kansas City at the Sprint Center. Although they’ve been challenged by injuries, the No. 10 Kansas Jayhawks enter the Big 12 basketball tournament as the top seed and are looking to build momentum heading into March Madness.
While Kansas swept their season series with the other top seeds, No. 16 Iowa State and No. 17 Oklahoma, the Jayhawks lost two of their final three regular season games and lost to their quarterfinal opponent, Oklahoma State, earlier this year. That kind of parity has made this year a hallmark campaign on the hardwood, and fans are looking forward to an exciting and unpredictable tournament to finish off the season. In all likelihood, they’ll also be seeing pro prospects including Andrew Wiggins and Marcus Smart for the last time in conference play before they enter the upcoming NBA Draft.
Big 12 Basketball Tournament Tickets
Demand is at an all-time high for this year’s tourney; the average ticket price for a full strip to all five sessions is $759, up 10% from $690 in 2013. The same trend applies to tickets for individual sessions, with the average prices of the semifinal doubleheader and the championship game each rising 15% from last year. The Big 12 tournament is also the most expensive conference tourney in the country this year.
The Big East tournament has the second-most expensive full strip at an average of $540 per ticket, a discount of $219 on the cost of a full strip in Kansas City. The ACC comes in at $494 for a full strip, followed by the SEC at $448 and the Big Ten at $428. This is the first time in the five years we’ve been monitoring the secondary market that the Big 12 has been the hottest conference tournament ticket; the “old” Big East regularly drew the highest prices before realignment.
Big 12 Tournament Average Ticket Prices
Big 12 tournament tickets have long been sold out again this season, and the resale market is the only way to get seats. The average ticket price on the secondary market for the quarterfinal, semifinal and championship sessions have all risen considerably year-over-year from 2013. The quarterfinals (taking an average for both Thursday sessions) are up 23% to $146 this year from $119 last year; the semifinal session is up 15% to $230 per ticket from $199; and the championship game is up 15% to $191 from $164.
Big 12 Basketball Highlights
Big 12 Basketball Tournament Breakdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQsrUCoLz94
