+Sports Illustrated reported this morning that the ACC is finalizing a deal to play its conference tournament at the Barclays center in Brooklyn starting in 2017. Amidst the reshaped college basketball conference landscape, the deal could transform Barclays into the hub of New York City basketball, and shift the center of NCAA post-season gravity from Manhattan to Brooklyn.
While Big East tournament tickets opened as the most expensive conference tournament this year, with Villanova’s early departure ticket prices have dropped almost 30% on the secondary market. Nova was by far the biggest draw at Madison Square Garden, and after both they and St. John’s were knocked off, Seton Hall remains the only team with a local base. At the eight seed, though, they are a long shot. Omaha-based +Creighton University is now the strong front-runner, and they’re not exactly a big draw in the Big Apple. While the Big East has withered, Big 12 tournament tickets have seen the biggest price increase, as home-town favorite Kansas marches forward and remains the favored team to win the title. With under 1,000 tickets left for today’s semi-final round, ticket start at $126 and run as high as $645 for a front-row seat behind the bench.
ACC tournament tickets have also increase significantly over the last week as all of the top-ranked teams remain in play. Tonight’s session features Duke and Syracuse and has an average price of $163. The semi-finals tomorrow is currently the most expensive session at an average of $226. If Duke and UNC were to face off in the title game, prices for that game would likely surpass the semi-finals prices. The rivalry game Chapel Hill this year had an average price of $227, $1 more than the current semi-final session price. The game at Cameron Indoor had an average of $1,766, and was the second-most expensive game in college basketball this season, and more expensive than most NCAA Tournament tickets. A Duke-UNC finals in the ACC tournament would likely be somewhere between those two prices. Atlantic 10 ticket price at the Barclays Center have an average price of $95, which makes it amongst the cheapest conference tournaments this year. While Umass has a strong alumnae base in the tri-state area, there are no big local draws for this years tournament. The match-ups are not enough to sell out on the primary market, let alone drive an active secondary market. The ACC tournament at Barclays Center would be an entirely different story. Barclays has had some very expensive concert tickets in it’s two years of existence, including Jay-Z and the Rolling Stones. This year, Cher tickets and +Katy Perry tickets lead the way, with ticket that will cost you more than $300. ACC tournament tickets, however, could make those shows seem like bargain-basement deals.
Last year’s Big East tournament semi-final at Madison Square Garden had an average price of $322. That year, UConn did not participate because of academic penalties. +Syracuse Orange and +UConn both have the largest tri-state area alumnae bases, and have had some very expensive Big East tournament games over the years. The last time both Syracuse and UConn participated in a semi-final session was 2012. That year, the average price semi-final tickets was $423. To date, the most expensive game for Nets tickets at Barclays was their first game against the Knicks, which had an average price of $499. If all the top seeds advance in this year’s ACC tournament, semi-finals Saturday would feature +University of Virginia against +North Carolina Tar Heels in one game and Syracuse against +Duke Basketball in the other. All four of those schools have massive alumnae bases in the tri-state area, and unless the Nets make it to the NBA finals between now and 2017, a semi-final Saturday with the top seeds form this years tournament would likely be the most expensive basketball ticket in the Barclays Center short history. It might also raise the question of whether Madison Square Garden still deserves the designation of ‘The Mecca of basketball.’
While Big East tournament tickets opened as the most expensive conference tournament this year, with Villanova’s early departure ticket prices have dropped almost 30% on the secondary market. Nova was by far the biggest draw at Madison Square Garden, and after both they and St. John’s were knocked off, Seton Hall remains the only team with a local base. At the eight seed, though, they are a long shot. Omaha-based +Creighton University is now the strong front-runner, and they’re not exactly a big draw in the Big Apple. While the Big East has withered, Big 12 tournament tickets have seen the biggest price increase, as home-town favorite Kansas marches forward and remains the favored team to win the title. With under 1,000 tickets left for today’s semi-final round, ticket start at $126 and run as high as $645 for a front-row seat behind the bench.
ACC tournament tickets have also increase significantly over the last week as all of the top-ranked teams remain in play. Tonight’s session features Duke and Syracuse and has an average price of $163. The semi-finals tomorrow is currently the most expensive session at an average of $226. If Duke and UNC were to face off in the title game, prices for that game would likely surpass the semi-finals prices. The rivalry game Chapel Hill this year had an average price of $227, $1 more than the current semi-final session price. The game at Cameron Indoor had an average of $1,766, and was the second-most expensive game in college basketball this season, and more expensive than most NCAA Tournament tickets. A Duke-UNC finals in the ACC tournament would likely be somewhere between those two prices. Atlantic 10 ticket price at the Barclays Center have an average price of $95, which makes it amongst the cheapest conference tournaments this year. While Umass has a strong alumnae base in the tri-state area, there are no big local draws for this years tournament. The match-ups are not enough to sell out on the primary market, let alone drive an active secondary market. The ACC tournament at Barclays Center would be an entirely different story. Barclays has had some very expensive concert tickets in it’s two years of existence, including Jay-Z and the Rolling Stones. This year, Cher tickets and +Katy Perry tickets lead the way, with ticket that will cost you more than $300. ACC tournament tickets, however, could make those shows seem like bargain-basement deals.
Last year’s Big East tournament semi-final at Madison Square Garden had an average price of $322. That year, UConn did not participate because of academic penalties. +Syracuse Orange and +UConn both have the largest tri-state area alumnae bases, and have had some very expensive Big East tournament games over the years. The last time both Syracuse and UConn participated in a semi-final session was 2012. That year, the average price semi-final tickets was $423. To date, the most expensive game for Nets tickets at Barclays was their first game against the Knicks, which had an average price of $499. If all the top seeds advance in this year’s ACC tournament, semi-finals Saturday would feature +University of Virginia against +North Carolina Tar Heels in one game and Syracuse against +Duke Basketball in the other. All four of those schools have massive alumnae bases in the tri-state area, and unless the Nets make it to the NBA finals between now and 2017, a semi-final Saturday with the top seeds form this years tournament would likely be the most expensive basketball ticket in the Barclays Center short history. It might also raise the question of whether Madison Square Garden still deserves the designation of ‘The Mecca of basketball.’
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The few here at +SPORTS CR3W, never really understood the designation of "Mecca of basketball," for MSG. Why? Knicks have won, what, 1 title? The Carolina schools, Kansas, and Indiana should have such claim. Now if they're referring to the Streetball, that's a totally different story. Just saying. There is a lot more banners hanging in Boston and LA than in MSG. Just because 'streetball' is king doesn't make it the 'mecca.' Sorry. The Big 12 Ticket example is just an example of that. NYC is a mecca for demographics and ticket prices but as far a passionate hoops fans and "titles" that could be claimed elsewhere and not designated as the mecca of the sport, but more or less an ideal place to sell the most expensive tickets on college basketball in the largest city in America.
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