Associated Press
ATLANTA ó In another sign of the trying economic times, ACC officials said tickets are available for the men’s basketball tournament.
The ACC will make tickets available to the general public for the first time since 1966. They go on sale starting next Monday for the March 12-15 tournament, which will be held at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome.
While tournament seats are normally among the toughest in sports to land, ACC commissioner John Swofford attributed the availability to a “unique combination of playing this year’s tournament in a dome during very trying economic times.”
The Georgia Dome, normally the home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, is the largest venue used for the ACC tournament, seating more than 30,000 for hoops.
All available seats are in the upper deck. The entire 11-game book must be purchased at a cost of $363 ó an average of $33 per game.
Tickets are normally sold in advance through the 12 member schools, but the economic downturn made it tougher to find buyers.
The ACC did not respond on how many tickets were still available.