NCAA Men's Tournament Ticket Sales Sluggish In New Orleans

Ticket sales are “lagging” for the first two rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at New Orleans Arena, according to Nakia Hogan of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. Local officials would not divulge how many tickets have been sold, but a source said that the event “has sold about 7,000 tickets in the 17,000-seat arena.” Tulane Associate AD Vince Granito, who is serving as the Tournament Dir, said, “What we really need right now is more presence in the community. It seems to me even though we have been having a pretty good ad campaign, maybe the whole city is still in a Saints hangover or a post-Super Bowl hangover. We are trying to get the word out and get the local fans fired up a little bit.” Hogan noted with New Orleans set to host an ’11 men’s regional, the ’12 men’s Final Four and the ’13 women’s Final Four, the NCAA is “likely keeping a close eye on the local response to college basketball” (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 3/11).