November 13, 2013
The college basketball season is officially underway and with that, the first update to the TicketIQ Top 25 has been released. Many of the schools expected to be at the top, such as Duke and Kentucky are where they should be, but some surprises for excellent programs like Michigan State are lower than expected. The Top 25 will shift throughout the season, but with a full season full of ticket prices this opening poll gives us the best look what the cost for the top teams’ home games will be for the 2013-14 college basketball season.
In the top spot by a wide margin are the Duke Blue Devils. Duke basketball tickets have an average of $409 for the season and are the only team with an average ticket price exceeding $325. Some of that average is thanks to Duke’s top home game against the North Carolina Tar Heels on March 8. Tickets for the biggest rivalry is college basketball are currently averaging $1514 per tick with a get in price of $960.
The No. 2 spot in the TicketIQ Top 25 belongs to the AP No. 1 ranked Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky basketball tickets have a season average of $322 per ticket on the secondary market. In the rankings, Kentucky is much closer to the No. 3 spot than they are to Duke at No. 1. Kentucky’s top home game of the season comes December 28 against Louisville with and average price of $1134 and a gt-in price of $226.
Kansas sits at No. 3 in the first TicketIQ Top 25 poll. Kansas basketball tickets have an average of $298 for the 2013-14 season. The Jayhawks are currently ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll led by freshman Andrew Wiggins. The top home game at Allen Fieldhouse will be January 18 against Oklahoma State. Tickets for that Big 12 conference matchup have an average price of $553 and a starting price of $199.
UCLA opens at the No. 4 spot in the TicketIQ Top 25 despite being at the bottom of the AP Top 25 Poll at No. 22. UCLA basketball tickets have an average of $147 for the season. The Bruins hold this spot by having a lot of evenly priced games and not having one major game that skews the season average like some of the other top teams. UCLA’s top game is a January 9 game against the Arizona Wildcats. The PAC12 conference game has an average ticket price fo $228 and a get-in price of $56.
The Indiana Hoosiers are not ranked by the AP, but they are No. 5 in the TicketIQ Top 25. Indiana basketball tickets have a season average of $130. After losing star players like Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller to the NBA Draft after last season, the Hoosiers will have a harder path to being competitive in the Big Ten this season. The top game in Assembly Hall is against the Michigan Wolverines on February 2. Tickets against the Wolverines are averaging $304 with a starting price of $151.
North Carolina is just outside the AP’s Top 10, but sneaks into the top ten in TicketIQ’s Top 25 at No. 9. North Carolina basketball tickets are averaging $104 for games played in Chapel Hill. Not surprisingly, the Tar Heels’ top home game this season comes against Duke on February 12 with an average ticket price of $458 and a get-in price of $250.
After making it to last season’s National Championship game, the Michigan Wolverines are No. 7 in the AP Poll, but just No. 13 in the TicketIQ Top 25. Michigan basketball tickets have an average price of $94 for the season. Michigan’s top home game comes at the end up February against in-state rival Michigan State. Tickets for the game between the Wolverines and Spartans are averaging $200 per ticket and have a starting price of $100.
Louisville won the NCAA tournament last season, but that couldn’t help the Cardinals rank higher than 15th in the TicketIQ Top 25. Louisville basketball tickets have an average price of $87 over the course of the season for games at the KFC Yum! Center. Louisville will spend this season in the American Athletic Conference and their top game will be a conference game against the UConn Huskies. tickets for the March 8 game are currently averaging $122 with a get-in price of $78.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are just 17th in the initial TicketIQ Top 25. Ohio State basketball tickets have an average price of $87 this season. The Buckeyes will be returning much of last season’s roster that made it to the Elite Eight. Ohio State’s top game at the Schottenstein Center this season will be March 9 against Michigan State. The game against the Spartans has an average ticket price of $213 and a get-in price of $69.
Michigan State is ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll, but is on the bubble looking in at the rest of the TicketIQ Top 25. Michigan State basketball tickets are averaging $75 per ticket, which is not enough to get them into the Top 25 in the initial rankings. The Spartans’ top game in East Lansing this season is a January 25 matchup against the Michigan Wolverines. The Big Ten matchup has a $199 average ticket price and a $101 get-in price.
Surely these teams will be fluctuating in these rankings as the season goes along. As the season plays out, some games will start to have greater importance and some might not mean as much as originally expected. Either way, the TicketIQ Top 25 is the best way to keep an eye on ticket trends for all your favorite college basketball teams.
For more on College Basketball tickets, check out these two articles from Forbes.
