Ticket Demand for Wichita State Shockers Run at Perfect Season

The Wichita State Shockers are one game away from completing a perfect 2014 regular season and will look to maintain their undefeated record when they host Missouri State this Saturday at Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers undefeated regular season would be the first in NCAA Division I basketball since the St. Joseph’s Hawks were perfect back in 2004. And while Wichita State has ridden the wave of perfection all the way to the No. 2 ranking in the land, they must heed lessons learned by teams like St. Joe’s, and even the 1991 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, each of whom failed to carry that perfection all the way through the NCAA Basketball Tournament to a national title.

Although Missouri State is not nationally ranked, like all of the Shockers’ other opponents this season, they did take Wichita State into overtime during their first matchup back on January 11. That means considering any lessons in postseason history is premature until after securing a win at the final buzzer this weekend. Just look at Syracuse, who tumbled from their own perfect record at the hands of back to back conference losses to the woeful Boston College Eagles and (less surprisingly) Duke Blue Devils.

Wichita State vs. Missouri State Basketball Tickets

Making history, especially in the mid-major Missouri Valley Conference, is stirring up a ton of demand for this season finale. The average ticket price for Wichita State-Missouri State this Saturday is $192, and prices are still rising; the cheapest seat available 48 hours ago (before the Shockers defeated Bradley on the road) was $139, but as of this morning, the “get-in” price is now up 15% to $160. Back in December and early January, some fortunate fans were able to get seats for less than $50 on the resale market. Prices for Saturday’s game have steadily risen throughout the season; the average was $88 per ticket in December and rose 19% to $105 in January, then 52% to $160 in the first three weeks of February. Since last Saturday when the Shockers defeated Drake in their second-to-last home game, the average ticket price has gone up another 20% to $192.

Undefeated NCAA Basketball Teams

While there was an undefeated regular season by St. Joe’s 10 years ago and UNLV’s famous perfect run to the Final Four back in 1991, there have only been seven perfect champions since the NCAA tournament was introduced in 1939. Wichita State would be the first such team in nearly 40 years, but that run can’t continue without defeating their conference rival this weekend.

Year Team Record
1956 San Francisco Dons 29-0
1957 UNC Tar Heels 32-0
1964 UCLA Bruins 30-0
1967 UCLA Bruins 30-0
1972 UCLA Bruins 30-0
1973 UCLA Bruins 30-0
1976 Indiana Hoosiers 32-0

Wichita State Shockers Road to Perfect Season

The homestretch for completing the first undefeated regular season in the NCAA in ten years has directed the spotlight right at the heart of the Missouri Valley. In fact, all tickets for Saturday’s game within 20 rows of the court are listed at higher prices than the cost of a Wichita State season ticket, which ranged from $275 for upper benchback seats to $330 for premium chairback seats. There are just over 90 tickets available for the game on the secondary market right now, representing less than 1% of the capacity of Charles Koch Arena. Evidently, not many Shockers ticket holders are willing to forego attending the game in order to sell their seats for a profit. What would it take for you to give up your first-hand glimpse of history?

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