Those who count their chickens before they’re hatched are often forced to wrap their choppers around a crow omelet. Still, you can’t keep from speculating with the college basketball season well past the point of no return.
Kansas, for instance, is looking more and more like the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional, yet the Jayhawks may not be dispatched to one of the Midwest Regional sites either Chicago’s United Center or the American Airlines Arena in Dallas.
A South Regional first- and second-round site St. Louis is actually closer to Lawrence than either Chicago or Dallas, and the NCAA is now committed to dispatching teams to places that are “geographically compatible.”
Fewer student-athletes will miss class this way, the NCAA explained, while at the same time conceding geography plays a major role in ticket sales. A couple of sites last year Kansas City was one had thousands of tickets left over because of the assigned teams lacked regional familiarity.
So even if the Jayhawks are the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Midwest, they could play their first- and second-round games under the dome in St. Louis, and that would be a real coup.
A St. Louis assignment would be a boon to Kansas fans because the Jayhawks’ first NCAA stop is usually in a small arena, and KU’s ticket supply is so limited that the pasteboards are all snapped up by big donors, leaving the average guy out in the cold to deal with scalpers.
Only once in the last five years the New Orleans Superdome in 1999 has KU been sent to a huge arena for first- and second-round action. The other four sites have been the diminutive Dayton Arena; the jelly-jar Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C.; the minuscule Myriad in Oklahoma City; and the Pyramid in Memphis. OK, the Pyramid isn’t puny with more than 20,000 seats, but most domes will accommodate around 30,000 or more.
When Kansas played Illinois at the NCAA Midwest Regional in the San Antonio Alamodome last March, the crowd was listed at nearly 29,000.
In truth, Chicago’s United Center and the spanking new AA Arena in Dallas, site of the 2003 and 2004 Big 12 Tournaments, are about as big as non-domes can be. For years now, the Final Four has been a dome-sized event. With the new NCAA policy of geographics, it’s quite likely many of the first- and second-rounds will require domed arenas as well.
Kansas University students, so accustomed to their inability to obtain NCAA Tournament tickets, customarily make other plans for spring break. First-round games in St. Louis will be played on Thursday, March 14, second-round games on Saturday, March 16. Spring break officially starts on March 16.
Would KU students delay their trips to Cancun or Padre Island or Fort Lauderdale or Copper Mountain if they knew KU tourney tickets were available? Or would they wait and opt for the Midwest Regional the following weekend instead?
Actually, there is no choice. The Midwest Regional will be played at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. Seating capacity for the Home of the Badgers is 17,142. You guessed it. The Kohl Center is already sold out.
By and large, though, the best aspect of the new NCAA policy on propinquity is you have a pretty good idea where your favorite team will be sent. In the past, you never knew which of the eight sites was in the cards.
Sure, Kansas may not be sent to St. Louis but, if not, we know for sure it will be either Dallas or Chicago. Definitely out are Pittsburgh, Greenville (Greenville???), Albuquerque, Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Those are the other 2002 first- and second-round sites.
Those who count their chickens before they’re hatched are often forced to wrap their choppers around a crow omelet. Still, you can’t keep from speculating with the college basketball season well past the point of no return.
Kansas, for instance, is looking more and more like the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional, yet the Jayhawks may not be dispatched to one of the Midwest Regional sites either Chicago’s United Center or the American Airlines Arena in Dallas.
A South Regional first- and second-round site St. Louis is actually closer to Lawrence than either Chicago or Dallas, and the NCAA is now committed to dispatching teams to places that are “geographically compatible.”
Fewer student-athletes will miss class this way, the NCAA explained, while at the same time conceding geography plays a major role in ticket sales. A couple of sites last year Kansas City was one had thousands of tickets left over because of the assigned teams lacked regional familiarity.
So even if the Jayhawks are the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Midwest, they could play their first- and second-round games under the dome in St. Louis, and that would be a real coup.
A St. Louis assignment would be a boon to Kansas fans because the Jayhawks’ first NCAA stop is usually in a small arena, and KU’s ticket supply is so limited that the pasteboards are all snapped up by big donors, leaving the average guy out in the cold to deal with scalpers.
Only once in the last five years the New Orleans Superdome in 1999 has KU been sent to a huge arena for first- and second-round action. The other four sites have been the diminutive Dayton Arena; the jelly-jar Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C.; the minuscule Myriad in Oklahoma City; and the Pyramid in Memphis. OK, the Pyramid isn’t puny with more than 20,000 seats, but most domes will accommodate around 30,000 or more.
When Kansas played Illinois at the NCAA Midwest Regional in the San Antonio Alamodome last March, the crowd was listed at nearly 29,000.
In truth, Chicago’s United Center and the spanking new AA Arena in Dallas, site of the 2003 and 2004 Big 12 Tournaments, are about as big as non-domes can be. For years now, the Final Four has been a dome-sized event. With the new NCAA policy of geographics, it’s quite likely many of the first- and second-rounds will require domed arenas as well.
Kansas University students, so accustomed to their inability to obtain NCAA Tournament tickets, customarily make other plans for spring break. First-round games in St. Louis will be played on Thursday, March 14, second-round games on Saturday, March 16. Spring break officially starts on March 16.
Would KU students delay their trips to Cancun or Padre Island or Fort Lauderdale or Copper Mountain if they knew KU tourney tickets were available? Or would they wait and opt for the Midwest Regional the following weekend instead?
Actually, there is no choice. The Midwest Regional will be played at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. Seating capacity for the Home of the Badgers is 17,142. You guessed it. The Kohl Center is already sold out.
By and large, though, the best aspect of the new NCAA policy on propinquity is you have a pretty good idea where your favorite team will be sent. In the past, you never knew which of the eight sites was in the cards.
Sure, Kansas may not be sent to St. Louis but, if not, we know for sure it will be either Dallas or Chicago. Definitely out are Pittsburgh, Greenville (Greenville???), Albuquerque, Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Those are the other 2002 first- and second-round sites.
Those who count their chickens before they’re hatched are often forced to wrap their choppers around a crow omelet. Still, you can’t keep from speculating with the college basketball season well past the point of no return.
Kansas, for instance, is looking more and more like the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional, yet the Jayhawks may not be dispatched to one of the Midwest Regional sites either Chicago’s United Center or the American Airlines Arena in Dallas.
A South Regional first- and second-round site St. Louis is actually closer to Lawrence than either Chicago or Dallas, and the NCAA is now committed to dispatching teams to places that are “geographically compatible.”
Fewer student-athletes will miss class this way, the NCAA explained, while at the same time conceding geography plays a major role in ticket sales. A couple of sites last year Kansas City was one had thousands of tickets left over because of the assigned teams lacked regional familiarity.
So even if the Jayhawks are the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Midwest, they could play their first- and second-round games under the dome in St. Louis, and that would be a real coup.
A St. Louis assignment would be a boon to Kansas fans because the Jayhawks’ first NCAA stop is usually in a small arena, and KU’s ticket supply is so limited that the pasteboards are all snapped up by big donors, leaving the average guy out in the cold to deal with scalpers.
Only once in the last five years the New Orleans Superdome in 1999 has KU been sent to a huge arena for first- and second-round action. The other four sites have been the diminutive Dayton Arena; the jelly-jar Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C.; the minuscule Myriad in Oklahoma City; and the Pyramid in Memphis. OK, the Pyramid isn’t puny with more than 20,000 seats, but most domes will accommodate around 30,000 or more.
When Kansas played Illinois at the NCAA Midwest Regional in the San Antonio Alamodome last March, the crowd was listed at nearly 29,000.
In truth, Chicago’s United Center and the spanking new AA Arena in Dallas, site of the 2003 and 2004 Big 12 Tournaments, are about as big as non-domes can be. For years now, the Final Four has been a dome-sized event. With the new NCAA policy of geographics, it’s quite likely many of the first- and second-rounds will require domed arenas as well.
Kansas University students, so accustomed to their inability to obtain NCAA Tournament tickets, customarily make other plans for spring break. First-round games in St. Louis will be played on Thursday, March 14, second-round games on Saturday, March 16. Spring break officially starts on March 16.
Would KU students delay their trips to Cancun or Padre Island or Fort Lauderdale or Copper Mountain if they knew KU tourney tickets were available? Or would they wait and opt for the Midwest Regional the following weekend instead?
Actually, there is no choice. The Midwest Regional will be played at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. Seating capacity for the Home of the Badgers is 17,142. You guessed it. The Kohl Center is already sold out.
By and large, though, the best aspect of the new NCAA policy on propinquity is you have a pretty good idea where your favorite team will be sent. In the past, you never knew which of the eight sites was in the cards.
Sure, Kansas may not be sent to St. Louis but, if not, we know for sure it will be either Dallas or Chicago. Definitely out are Pittsburgh, Greenville (Greenville???), Albuquerque, Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Those are the other 2002 first- and second-round sites.
Those who count their chickens before they’re hatched are often forced to wrap their choppers around a crow omelet. Still, you can’t keep from speculating with the college basketball season well past the point of no return.
Kansas, for instance, is looking more and more like the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional, yet the Jayhawks may not be dispatched to one of the Midwest Regional sites either Chicago’s United Center or the American Airlines Arena in Dallas.
A South Regional first- and second-round site St. Louis is actually closer to Lawrence than either Chicago or Dallas, and the NCAA is now committed to dispatching teams to places that are “geographically compatible.”
Fewer student-athletes will miss class this way, the NCAA explained, while at the same time conceding geography plays a major role in ticket sales. A couple of sites last year Kansas City was one had thousands of tickets left over because of the assigned teams lacked regional familiarity.
So even if the Jayhawks are the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Midwest, they could play their first- and second-round games under the dome in St. Louis, and that would be a real coup.
A St. Louis assignment would be a boon to Kansas fans because the Jayhawks’ first NCAA stop is usually in a small arena, and KU’s ticket supply is so limited that the pasteboards are all snapped up by big donors, leaving the average guy out in the cold to deal with scalpers.
Only once in the last five years the New Orleans Superdome in 1999 has KU been sent to a huge arena for first- and second-round action. The other four sites have been the diminutive Dayton Arena; the jelly-jar Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C.; the minuscule Myriad in Oklahoma City; and the Pyramid in Memphis. OK, the Pyramid isn’t puny with more than 20,000 seats, but most domes will accommodate around 30,000 or more.
When Kansas played Illinois at the NCAA Midwest Regional in the San Antonio Alamodome last March, the crowd was listed at nearly 29,000.
In truth, Chicago’s United Center and the spanking new AA Arena in Dallas, site of the 2003 and 2004 Big 12 Tournaments, are about as big as non-domes can be. For years now, the Final Four has been a dome-sized event. With the new NCAA policy of geographics, it’s quite likely many of the first- and second-rounds will require domed arenas as well.
Kansas University students, so accustomed to their inability to obtain NCAA Tournament tickets, customarily make other plans for spring break. First-round games in St. Louis will be played on Thursday, March 14, second-round games on Saturday, March 16. Spring break officially starts on March 16.
Would KU students delay their trips to Cancun or Padre Island or Fort Lauderdale or Copper Mountain if they knew KU tourney tickets were available? Or would they wait and opt for the Midwest Regional the following weekend instead?
Actually, there is no choice. The Midwest Regional will be played at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. Seating capacity for the Home of the Badgers is 17,142. You guessed it. The Kohl Center is already sold out.
By and large, though, the best aspect of the new NCAA policy on propinquity is you have a pretty good idea where your favorite team will be sent. In the past, you never knew which of the eight sites was in the cards.
Sure, Kansas may not be sent to St. Louis but, if not, we know for sure it will be either Dallas or Chicago. Definitely out are Pittsburgh, Greenville (Greenville???), Albuquerque, Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Those are the other 2002 first- and second-round sites.
