– Ed Miller Ed Miller, 757-446-2372, [email protected]
NORFOLK | Although there have been plenty of empty seats at Scope for the first two days of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament, ticket sales are well ahead of where they were last season when the tournament was held in Winston-Salem, N.C.
MEAC commissioner Dennis Thomas said the league sold more than 5,000 books of tickets for the entire tournament, priced at $122 apiece. He also said that only 2,200 tickets remain for Saturday’s men’s championship game.
“We’re satisfied with ticket sales so far,” he said.
Thomas said the abundance of empty seats for the first two days, especially for the morning and early afternoon sessions, was to be expected and is the norm at many college basketball tournaments.
Thomas said the MEAC generally sells 5,000 to 7,000 tickets for the championship game.
Should Norfolk State, the MEAC regular-season champion, advance to the championship game, Thomas said he expects to sell out the 9,140-seat Scope.
The championship game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
BETH.-COOKMAN NEARLY DERAILED NSU’S RUN
Bethune-Cookman’s win over Coppin State set up a rematch of not only last year’s championship game vs. Norfolk State, but, more recently, a March 2 game that the Spartans probably didn’t deserve to win, point guard Jamel Fuentes said afterward.
Fuentes’ scored the winning bucket in a 62-61 victory that was the narrowest escape of the Spartans’ unbeaten conference season.
“It’s a challenge,” Bethune-Cookman coach Gravelle Craig said. “First of all, they’re undefeated, so they must be doing something right. They’re a good team, well-coached and well-balanced.”