Season ticket packages for students cut by 2 games

Students who purchased IU men’s basketball season tickets will soon have $30 of additional spending money courtesy of the IU Athletics Department. The department will refund part of the cost of student season ticket packages because it received a record number of applications – about 9,200 – for an 18-game ticket package. However, with only 8,000 seats allocated for students, each package will contain about 16 games this season, said Frank Cuervo, IU assistant athletic director for external operations.\nIU has the second highest number of allocated student seats in the nation, but Cuervo said the high expectations for this season’s team attracted more students than ever. The team is ranked in the Top 10 or 15 by many major media outlets. He said the athletic department was excited to see the students take such a large interest in the basketball team.\n“I think everyone is excited for the season,” Cuervo said. “It’s a testament to our students.”\nThe system will continue to rotate seats, giving students opportunities to sit behind the basket, in the main section and in the balcony, Cuervo said. He added that there is no specific way the games are assigned.\nThe issue of student seating, including a more coherent student section, has been a major issue over the past several years. In an interview with the Indiana Daily Student on Sept. 26, IU coach Kelvin Sampson addressed the student section situation.\n“There is no easy solution,” Sampson said. “Am I happy with what we have? No. I wish we could have 8,000 students on one side, screaming and going crazy. I think Mr. (Athletic Director Rick) Greenspan is doing the best he can because he has his hands tied behind his back.”\nWhile there are no plans to create an 8,000-student block this season, Cuervo said the athletic department will soon be announcing plans to “beef up the student section” for the coming season to help improve the atmosphere.