Wittenberg senior wing Kenny Brady scores two points against St. Norbert on Dec. 30 in the HPER Center.
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — It is quite rare for the top two teams in the nation - according to the d3hoops.com national poll each of the last two weeks - to play a regular season game against one another. Predictably, tickets for the game between No. 1 Wittenberg and No. 2 Wooster on Saturday, Feb. 4, in Wittenberg's HPER Center are in demand.
That's why Wittenberg Director of Athletics and Recreation Garnett Purnell has decided to conduct ticket sales a little different than normal for the game, which is scheduled for tip-off at 7:30 p.m. While the Tigers are averaging less than 1,000 fans per home game so far in the 2005-06 season, the game against Wooster is expected to be a sellout, meaning that all 3,000 seats in the arena will be filled.
Tickets will go on sale for the game at noon Saturday, Feb. 4, until all of the approximately 2,000 tickets available to the general public are sold. The rest of the seats in the arena are allotted to Wittenberg students, faculty and staff, who get into games by showing their university identification card, Wittenberg season ticket holders and family members of players on the two teams. There will be no organized sales of tickets at Wittenberg before the day of the game.
Ticket prices are $5 for adult general admission and $3 for seniors and children. Any questions can be answered by calling Wittenberg's Department of Athletics at (937) 327-6489.
The Tigers are ranked No. 1 in the nation, but they are second in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) currently, one game behind Wooster thanks to a thrilling 86-83 home victory for the Scots over the Tigers on Dec. 10. Wooster, which is 18-1 overall and 10-0 in the NCAC after winning the conference's regular season title a year ago, ranks second in the nation.
Wittenberg is also 18-1 overall, including a 9-1 mark in the NCAC. The Tigers, the top defensive team in all of NCAA Division III in 2004-05 and so far in 2005-06, defeated Wooster twice in three meetings last season, including a 61-59 triumph in the NCAC Tournament championship game. One of the two teams has won the NCAC regular season title every year since 1989.
The Tigers stand atop a national NCAA Division III poll for the first time in 12 years and the third time since joining the NCAC in 1989. Research is currently under way to determine the last time that the top two teams in the nation squared off in a regular season game, and whether or not Wittenberg has ever been involved in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 regular season game.
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