With the Houston Cougars playing so close to campus and rabid Nebraska Cornhuskers fans flooding the city, tickets for the NCAA Tournament in the South Region were pricey, with the cheapest seat in Toyota Center for Thursday’s Sweet 16 going for about $400.
Once the Huskers lost to Iowa in Thursday’s first game, Nebraska fans packed their bags to turn around and head right back home, and prices for Saturday’s Elite Eight began to come down. Then, the Cougars had their hearts broken by Illinois, and ticket prices crashed.
Third-seeded Illinois faces ninth-seeded Iowa at 5:09 p.m. CT on Saturday with a trip to the Final Four on the line. More Illini and Hawkeyes fans are likely headed down to Houston, but anyone who just wants to watch a high-level college basketball game can suddenly afford tickets.
As of Friday morning, there are upper-deck seats available for resale on Ticketmaster for as little as $49, including fees. Prices are similar on other sites, with SeatGeek listing several tickets for as cheap as $52. Even seats in the lower level aren’t outrageous, with some listed as low as $150.
For comparison, the cheapest tickets for the West Regional final in San Jose, California, between Arizona and Purdue are going for $130.