Demand for Bulls basketball tickets has skyrocketed

BOISE – The phone calls and emails started pouring in bright and early here Friday morning. UB Athletics’ ticket staff were working feverishly in their makeshift ticket command center at the team hotel responding to inquiries from UB basketball fans.

Many were hoping to get their hands on the hottest tickets in town – the 13th-seeded Bulls’ second-round NCAA Tournament matchup against No. 5 Kentucky here on Saturday. Even more phone calls were from fans looking to renew or order new season ticket packages for next year, which is expected to be even more exciting.

“They’re all good problems to have. It’s been very busy,” said Elaine Russell, UB Athletics’ assistant athletic director for marketing.

“We were getting texts and calls during the game last night from people looking forward to Saturday,” added Kyle Rhoads, sales and marketing coordinator for the Bulls.

UB Athletics was given an allotment of a few hundred tickets for Thursday’s first-round game against Arizona. Fans who purchased tickets for that game had to also buy tickets for Saturday’s contest as well.

“We got another 100 tickets this morning and we’re already out of them,” said Lori DeFranco, UB’s director of ticket operations. For complete NCAA Tournament information, including watch parties, check out the Tournament Central Page.

As of Friday morning, the ticket team had already fielded 16 new orders for season tickets for the 2018-19 season; Bulls season tickets include both men’s and women’s home basketball games. “Their attendance numbers have been on the rise this year, so we’re excited to see that continue to grow as well,” Russell said of the women’s team.

“Fans are getting on board for next year already. No one wants to miss it,” said Rhoads said, adding that the Buffalo community is getting behind the fact that it’s rare to have two programs from the same school both in the tournament.

In addition to tickets, many fans are inquiring about NCAA Tournament merchandise. The Bulls Team Shop inside Alumni Arena has a variety of UB athletics gear for sale, including MAC Tournament championship T-shirts. Fans can also buy online at ShopUBBulls.com.

Demand has been high for the T-shirts the Bulls wore during their warm-ups prior to the Arizona game. Those are available in the team shop in Alumni Arena and will soon be available online.

“Some of our supporters, season ticket holders and Blue and White Fund members are calling to ask where they can get the shirts,” Rhoads said.

As if the ticket side of things wasn’t keeping her busy enough, Russell also coordinates UB’s marching band and cheerleading squad, both of which are in Boise. “It’s all good and it’s all fun,” she said.