Basketball season is approaching quickly, and the ways through which fans can watch the Long Beach State men’s basketball team are growing.
The LBSU athletics department released a mini-plan ticket package on Monday that will allow spectators to attend five home games, including the Nov. 16 matchup with North Carolina, for $99.
“The impetus of the mini plan is to provide our fans with another pricing option to be part of the thrilling gameday atmosphere at the Walter Pyramid,” Senior Associate Athletics Director Bill Brady said via email.
The mini plan is an alternative to season tickets for fans who wish to attend games but are unable to commit to an entire home slate. Brady said that approximately 200 tickets have been allocated to mini plan sales, but that number could be adjusted depending on how other tickets sell. According to Assistant Athletics Director Todd Miles, those sales have been going well.
“We have already sold more season tickets this year than we did last year,” he said.
Fans who purchase the mini plan will receive tickets to the UNC game as well as four other games of their choice. Those four games may include up to two “premium” games, which include home matches against Hawaii and Cal State Fullerton, as well as the Feb. 23 ESPN Bracketbusters game.
Those who wish to buy single-game tickets will have to wait until Nov. 1, when individual event sales begin at 12 a.m.
Students can get into games for free, provided they have their ID cards. Tickets go on sale at the door 90 minutes before gametime for every contest, including the one against UNC.
Also announced on Monday was FOX Prime Ticket’s Big West television schedule for 2012-13. The LBSU men’s basketball team will play on television at least three more times as a result, meaning that it will have a minimum of 11 of its games broadcast live.
As a part of its Big West coverage, Prime Ticket will be airing LBSU’s Dec. 29 home game against Pacifc, its Jan. 5 game at UC Santa Barbara and its Jan. 26 game against UC Irvine at the Walter Pyramid. It will also have cameras at any postseason games the ‘Niners play in.
The television coverage continues a trend of increasing media interest in LBSU basketball, as the men’s team has played on national television 50 times in the five years head coach Dan Monson has been at the helm.
The 49ers will open their season on Nov. 10, when they play North Alabama at the Walter Pyramid in the annual homecoming game.