Intrust Ticket Sales

[ShockerFever]

Lol! Before anyone jumps all over me, I am only posting this as a joke and I am not trying to make any sort of political statement...

I still lol anytime I see one of those stickers plastered on a gas pump.

[rjl]

Only about half the IBA games have really been worthy.

2010 - Tulsa - eh (82-79)
2011 - UAB - not IBA caliber (68-46)
2012 - Southern Miss - meh (59-51)
2013 - Tennessee - The kind of game it was meant for (70-61)
2014 - Saint Louis - not worthy of IBA (81-52)
2015 - #25 Utah - A worthy game (67-50)
2016 - Oklahoma State - A worthy game (76-93)
2017 - Oklahoma - A worthy game (83-91)
2018 - Southern Miss - meh (63-60)
2019 - Oklahoma - A worthy game (80-75)
2020 - COVID YEAR
2021 - Kansas State - A worthy game (59-65)
2022 - Oklahoma State - A worthy game (49-59)
2023 - South Dakota State - meh

We're 8-4 at Intrust. Should be 9-4 after this year.

But in IBA worthy games we're 3-4.

I thought I remembered coming into town for a UNLV game at Intrust in or around 2011ish. The espn box score says that was at Koch, though.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore/_/gameId/313382724

[1972Shocker]

Wasn't sure where to put this:

[WuDrWu]

If that doesn't hit you in the soul, I pity you.

[Topshock]

If that doesn't hit you in the soul, I pity you.

And get your arse off the couch and to the games

[BostonWu]

I'm not sure what purpose IBA games serve anymore. Might be time to take a breather and reconsider shortly after.

[WuShock16]

I'm not sure what purpose IBA games serve anymore. Might be time to take a breather and reconsider shortly after.

At least in years that Wichita hosts the NCAA Tournament, there MUST be a game in the facility during the regular season (essentially a dress rehearsal for game ops).

That said, I am not sure what it would do to the likelihood of getting future tournament bids if games stopped happening there on an annual basis.

[Shocker Mama]

The world’s gone crazy. Why do we need Trans Siberians taking orchestra jobs from Cis Siberians?

That made me actually laugh out loud.

[BostonWu]

At least in years that Wichita hosts the NCAA Tournament, there MUST be a game in the facility during the regular season (essentially a dress rehearsal for game ops).

That said, I am not sure what it would do to the likelihood of getting future tournament bids if games stopped happening there on an annual basis.

What's in it for us to host?

[pogo]

What's in it for us to host?

Hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Wichita economy and national exposure. To quote a line from a favorite movie "What is it worth? Nothing...Everything."

[BostonWu]

Hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Wichita economy and national exposure. To quote a line from a favorite movie "What is it worth? Nothing...Everything."

It doesn't have to be WSU that hosts. KU doesn't and gets to play in their backyard.

[WuShock16]

It doesn't have to be WSU that hosts. KU doesn't and gets to play in their backyard.

The host does get some financial benefit from it. I am not privy to exactly how that works, but Wichita State isn’t hosting just for the hell of it.

[tw805]

I lurk and only very rarely post here, but it seems like a decent time to chime in with my personal two cents, although doing so feels a lot like preaching to the choir. No one would be on this site if he or she didn't care. That Clemente message spoke volumes, though, and it warrants consideration.

Roughly 25 years ago, I received my undergraduate degree from WSU. I've been to three universities at this point, accounting for all the degrees eventually obtained, and WSU was by far my favorite and first love. Many of us faithfully attended games in the dark days of the 1990s, not based on whether the team was or wasn't good, but because that was our home school and our home team.

For me personally, that continued education, the work it led to, and eventually a marriage led me a fair distance away from Wichita. Even when we had children, however, we made it back to basketball games at least twice every year. Some of my boys' most rooted memories are of sitting in the rafters in the ear splitting noise and unbearable heat, because those were the only seats anyone could get. We have traveled in for five of these IBA games, including driving through a snowstorm all day to get to the Oklahoma State game.

Those memories played no small role in the decision my oldest made to travel out and attend WSU himself this past fall, now the third generation to do so. Last Wednesday, an appreciated lifelong friend did me the favor of attending the Richmond game with me while I was in town. At that game, I was able to look across the arena and watch my son sitting in the student section for the first time. I'm sure many have had the same experience, but for me it was indescribable. That was a demonstration of sincere generational love for this university.

What does not escape even him, much less any person who has been a decades-long supporter of the school and program, is the pathetic attendance. The college sports landscape has changed dramatically since the 1999s, and none of it is for the better, in my opinion. There's nothing any of us can do about that part. We can certainly show up when we can for these kids, however.

This isn't a fight over the "GameDay experience," or about whether the team is at full throttle on whatever date you want to attend. Your attendance speaks volumes to the kids we have now and those we might (or might not) have in the future. That isn't limited to the kids on the team, it's the entire student body. Intended or not, the message of support or lack thereof is sent at home, on the road, and at neutral sites. The showing at South Carolina was incredibly positive. The showing at home has been the complete opposite.

All of this is to say that the inclusion of the Clemente message seems timely and 100% on the money to me. The draw here has always been the fans. Right now, that draw isn't there. Yes, an IBA game is not a true "home" game, but good luck explaining that nuance to some kid who has traveled from 15 states away to play here. If he looks up in those stands and sees that only 1500 people living in the HOME CITY showed up, I'm pretty sure we can all guess the message that will be received. It will be magnified exponentially for any potential recruits. "Please travel 1500 miles away from your family to play for us, even though people who live 10 miles from the arena won't return the favor." How wonderfully appealing.

I really, really, really hope that we have decent showing at that IBA game. If you can get there, I really hope you will do so. It isn't a market forces, "experience," or price of specific seats issue at this point. I truly think our attendance at these games is going to have a significant influence on the direction this program takes. These kids are quoted in the newspaper as hoping they can play so well that they force the issue. That's an indictment on the current level of apathy, and it's not who we are.

Let's be better.

[pogo]

I lurk and only very rarely post here, but it seems like a decent time to chime in with my personal two cents, although doing so feels a lot like preaching to the choir. No one would be on this site if he or she didn't care. That Clemente message spoke volumes, though, and it warrants consideration.

Roughly 25 years ago, I received my undergraduate degree from WSU. I've been to three universities at this point, accounting for all the degrees eventually obtained, and WSU was by far my favorite and first love. Many of us faithfully attended games in the dark days of the 1990s, not based on whether the team was or wasn't good, but because that was our home school and our home team.

For me personally, that continued education, the work it led to, and eventually a marriage led me a fair distance away from Wichita. Even when we had children, however, we made it back to basketball games at least twice every year. Some of my boys' most rooted memories are of sitting in the rafters in the ear splitting noise and unbearable heat, because those were the only seats anyone could get. We have traveled in for five of these IBA games, including driving through a snowstorm all day to get to the Oklahoma State game.

Those memories played no small role in the decision my oldest made to travel out and attend WSU himself this past fall, now the third generation to do so. Last Wednesday, an appreciated lifelong friend did me the favor of attending the Richmond game with me while I was in town. At that game, I was able to look across the arena and watch my son sitting in the student section for the first time. I'm sure many have had the same experience, but for me it was indescribable. That was a demonstration of sincere generational love for this university.

What does not escape even him, much less any person who has been a decades-long supporter of the school and program, is the pathetic attendance. The college sports landscape has changed dramatically since the 1999s, and none of it is for the better, in my opinion. There's nothing any of us can do about that part. We can certainly show up when we can for these kids, however.

This isn't a fight over the "GameDay experience," or about whether the team is at full throttle on whatever date you want to attend. Your attendance speaks volumes to the kids we have now and those we might (or might not) have in the future. That isn't limited to the kids on the team, it's the entire student body. Intended or not, the message of support or lack thereof is sent at home, on the road, and at neutral sites. The showing at South Carolina was incredibly positive. The showing at home has been the complete opposite.

All of this is to say that the inclusion of the Clemente message seems timely and 100% on the money to me. The draw here has always been the fans. Right now, that draw isn't there. Yes, an IBA game is not a true "home" game, but good luck explaining that nuance to some kid who has traveled from 15 states away to play here. If he looks up in those stands and sees that only 1500 people living in the HOME CITY showed up, I'm pretty sure we can all guess the message that will be received. It will be magnified exponentially for any potential recruits. "Please travel 1500 miles away from your family to play for us, even though people who live 10 miles from the arena won't return the favor." How wonderfully appealing.

I really, really, really hope that we have decent showing at that IBA game. If you can get there, I really hope you will do so. It isn't a market forces, "experience," or price of specific seats issue at this point. I truly think our attendance at these games is going to have a significant influence on the direction this program takes. These kids are quoted in the newspaper as hoping they can play so well that they force the issue. That's an indictment on the current level of apathy, and it's not who we are.

Let's be better.

THIS

[pogo]

Two things stand out to me in TW's post and that is Home town and Home town team. Wichita is a wonderful and at the same time exasperating place to live. Being away from Wichita and living in other places gives one a sense of how good Wichita really is and can be. As TW points out we can't change the direction of college sports on a national basis but we can change it at the Wichita level. Take his words to heart and Be Better.