Interest in Buffalo hoops led to sales at team stores being up to nearly $120,000 from $80,000 last yearGETTY IMAGES
Interest around the Univ. at Buffalo's basketball programs is "growing fast" with both the men's and women's teams in the NCAA Tournament this year, according to Jeff Preval of Buffalo-based WGRZ-NBC. The school's athletic department said that the "combined attendance for men's and women's games went from 70,000 last year to more than 100,000 this year," and season-ticket sales are up 40% at Alumni Arena. This year was the "first time ever" UB sold standing-room only tickets. Sales at UB's team stores also are "up from $80,000 last year to nearly $120,000 this year." With that kind of response comes "more nationally televised games -- UB men went from 10 last year to 15 this season" (WGRZ.com, 3/18). In Buffalo, Jason Wolf noted the UB men's and women's teams are "scheduled to play simultaneously" on Friday. The 10th-seeded women's team will play 7th-seeded Rutgers at 4:30pm ET Friday, while the 6th-seeded men's team will play either Arizona State or St. John's at 4:00pm. UB AD Mark Alnutt said watch parties are "going to be happening everywhere." Alnutt: "We'll be able to have alternating TV's and just make it a big UB basketball watch party. Not just men and women specific." Alnutt added that the school will "need to work out the details for simultaneous radio broadcasts of each game" (BUFFALO NEWS, 3/19).
