Diehards Snatch Up March Madness Tickets, Book Rooms

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- After a few close calls in the Big Ten tournament, the basketball Buckeyes locked a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament after a dominating win against upstart Minnesota in the Big Ten finals Sunday.

The reward is a stacked Midwest region, starting Friday in Milwaukee, Wisc., against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.

The game will be held at the Bradley Center, and tip-off will be at about 9:45 p.m.

As of Monday morning, the chances of find lodging for the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament was promising.

Rob Elking, of Grandview Travel, said there are rooms available but likely not for long.

"People have four to five days to plan a trip to Milwaukee, and there is plenty of hotel space near Marquette University. Over the next 24 to 48 hours, they will sell out very fast."

You still need a ticket, right? It won't be cheap.

"Tickets are $125 and up. That gets you to two games on the same day. Next game is $200 a ticket," Dream Seats’ Brian Kaufman said.

That side of the bracket includes Georgetown from the Big East and overall No. 1 seed Kansas.

Kansas, seeking its second national championship in three years, won the Big 12 tournament Saturday by beating Kansas State. The Jayhawks are a No. 1 seed for the third time in four years.

The Buckeyes aren't looking that far ahead but are ready to lace up their dancing shoes.

The Gauchos are 18 and 9 in the regular season and won the Big West tournament.

The team averages about 68 points a game.

Watch for James Nunnally to get hot behind the 3-point line. He made 45 percent of his 3s during the regular season.

They also have a big man who is pretty hard to miss. Sophomore reserve Greg Somogyi is 7 feet 3 inches tall.

Ohio University, in the same bracket, takes on Georgetown.

And the Lady Buckeyes learn their travel plans tonight.

OSU TICKET SALE INFORMATION
Tickets are $75 each. A limited number of tickets will be made available for purchase through the Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office.

The ticket sale started at 10 a.m., Monday, March 15, and will only be available for purchase online at http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/.

Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis to any member of the Ohio State faculty/staff or students who purchased season tickets for the 2009-10 OSU Men's Basketball Season.

Each student season ticket holder will be eligible to purchase one ticket (two if married).

Faculty/staff members will have the opportunity to purchase two tickets.

If the Buckeyes advance to the second-round game, also being played at The Bradley Center on Sunday, March 21, anyone who purchased a first-round ticket will automatically be charged $75 for a ticket to the second-round game. No exchanges or refunds will be offered.

Second round tickets will only be available if the Buckeyes advance and must be picked up on Sunday, March 21, at The Bradley Center.

For more information, call the OSU Athletics Ticket Office at 800-GO-BUCKS.

Go to http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=204908401 for more ticket information.

For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com -- Where Accuracy Matters.
To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail stories@nbc4i.com.
MORE: NBC 4 Local News | Local Crime News
NBC 4 SPORTS: Sports News, Video
NBC 4 POLITICS: Headlines, Interactives & Video