Who’s got tickets? OKC does

Oklahoma City has become a victim of its own success.

That might not entirely explain why the NCAA men’s basketball regional at the Ford Center didn’t sell out early like most regionals in Oklahoma City do. You could put the down economy, the absence of local teams and an amazing Thunder season at the top of the list for reasons why ticket sales for the regional are a bit off.

But I think past successes are a factor, too.

Oklahoma City’s regionals have traditionally been fast sellouts. Tickets for them don’t go as fast as tickets for, say, the Eagles or the Rolling Stones, but usually, all the seats are scooped up long before the NCAA Tournament bracket is ever announced.

So, there’s an expectation that available tickets are going to be scarce to non-existent. That expectation may have created some of the lagging sales that we’re seeing this year.

People don’t think there are tickets, so they don’t go looking.

That might seem far-fetched, but last week at the Big 12 Tournament, I interviewed a couple from the Tulsa area. They are Kansas fans, and since they drove all the way to Kansas City to watch the Jayhawks, I figured they’d be heading to Oklahoma City for the regional.

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BY JENNI CARLSON

COLUMNIST

Jenni Carlson

Who’s got tickets? OKC does

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