Out of Bounds

Fever Pitch

by John Ross

As the Ohio State men's team gradually earned the No. 1 ranking in both major polls and snagged one of four top seeds in the NCAA tourney Sunday, basketball fever again has hit Columbus.

If you're just now climbing onto the bandwagon, don't hope to get seats to any of the six NCAA tournament games at Nationwide Arena Friday and Sunday.

Tickets to the three two-game sessions are long gone.

The 2004 tourney at Nationwide

None of the eight teams playing in Columbus is ranked higher than a regional No. 4 seed. Teams with local appeal like the Buckeyes, Xavier, Wright State, Kentucky and Indiana are playing elsewhere.

Yet Columbus fans are excited anyway about two precious days of March Madness, which is providing a spark to the Arena District that the Columbus Blue Jackets (currently the fourth-worst team in the NHL) haven't for some time.

Jamie Kaufman, president of Grandview ticket broker Dream Seats, said the demand for basketball has far surpassed desire for the dismal Jackets. He's seen basketball fans come out of the woodwork to see Long Beach State, Albany, Virginia Tech and others who will face off at Nationwide this weekend.

Seating Arrangement

Columbus isn't eligible to host March Madness again until 2011. If you can't wait that long, try hitting up one of these options:

Scalpers: March Madness fever should have suppliers lined up outside the arena, looking to unload (a completely legal practice in Columbus). On Sunday, some visiting fans might want to unload a second-round ticket if their team didn't advance.

Ticket brokers: Though subject to significant markup, this is the most certain way to score. Earlier this week, Dream Seats, located in Grandview, had three-session packages starting $275; online broker GoTickets.com has pairs starting at $160 per seat.

Box office: Each school is given 550 tickets, but Bill Jones, Ohio State senior director of ticketing and premium seating, told The Columbus Dispatch that West Coast and smaller schools don't always use them. Unused tickets often return to the box office the day of the game.

"The demand before [Monday] was just people who were going no matter what. It didn't matter who it was," he said. "Now it's predicated on people who want to see specific teams."

Ticket brokers are happy, fans are excited and bartenders in the Arena District are preparing for two of their busiest nights. So why does Columbus only host NCAA games every four years?

"There are many, many U.S. cities that want to host this competition," said Linda Logan, executive director of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, which helped bring March Madness to town this year and in 2004.

"Just the fact that we're in the rotation is great for us," Logan said. She estimated that it brings $10 million in visitor spending.

What: NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

When: March 16 & March 18

Where: Nationwide Arena, Arena District

Web: nationwidearena.com

March 15th, 2007