Basketball ticket package cut to 8

For the second straight year, the IU ticket office has reduced the number of men's basketball tickets included in the season ticket package. \nAfter originally advertising 12 games in their student ticket package, the ticket office has cut that number down to eight after demand exceeded expectations. Some students have already received their refund of $44 on their credit cards.\n"IU basketball is a high demand product," Assistant Media Relations Director Pete Rhoda said. "We don't want anyone to get shut out."\nThe change comes as a result of nearly 11,500 students purchasing the season tickets. Student seating in Assembly Hall is limited to 7,800.\n"We wanted to make sure that everyone sees the same amount of games," Rhoda said.\nStudents had to deal with the decision to cut the ticket amounts last year too, as the originally promised 10 tickets was dropped to six or seven. Despite the fact that students will still be receiving one more game than last year, some aren't taking the decision lightly.\n"I don't really understand how this could happen, especially two years in a row," freshman Dave Tendering said. "I just don't get why they would promise the students one thing, only to go back on their word like that. And after seeing it happen last year, you would think they would have learned."\nRhoda said the ticket office made a prediction as to the number of students that would purchase tickets before selecting the number of tickets to include in the package, and unfortunately, their prediction was exceeded.\n"We had to take a business standpoint," Rhoda said. "(The number) was based on past years, and if it exceeds that number, we make the necessary changes."\nWhile some students are unhappy with the decision, when the alternatives are put into perspective, others said it seems like the lesser of two evils.\n"I would rather have this than no tickets at all," freshman Mike Nilles said. "I think there would be a lot more upset people if they did a raffle or seniority. Sure it stinks that we have less tickets, but with eight games you are still bound to get quite a few good ones."\nWith eight out of the Hoosiers' 13 home games being against Big Ten opponents, students certainly will not miss all the Big Ten action. That, combined with the fact that several of the non-conference home games feature talented teams like Missouri, Temple and Butler, should provide students with a majority of quality games despite the reduction. But worries still arise when the possibility of missing a big-time match-up becomes an issue.\n"Coming from Illinois, all that I really care about is getting to see that game," freshman Chase Weigt said. "If the U of I game isn't in my ticket package, I am going to be even angrier about this whole situation."\nWith the season kicking off Nov. 21 against UNC-Greensboro, students can expect to find out which games they received within a few weeks.\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.