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LSU fans are dropping some serious dough for Thursday’s women’s basketball matchup against top-ranked South Carolina. Tickets are going for hundreds, and in many cases thousands, of dollars ahead of one of the sport’s most anticipated showdowns.
Unfortunately, should the Tigers win, fans have been warned against taking part in a popular postgame celebration.
Storming the court is one of the best traditions in college sports. Anytime the home team pulls off an upset of a top-ranked foe, fans leave their seats to enjoy the moment with the players.
Sometimes, we even get the occasional road team rush!
It’s become a bit controversial in recent years, too, however, as the NCAA looks out for player safety – more specifically, road team protection.
Having excited, and often intoxicated, fanatics interacting with dejected players after a disappointing defeat is a recipe for disaster.
In the past, we’ve seen players make contact with opposing fans and vice versa. Earlier this week, women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark was involved in a scary situation of her own.
Still, when done effectively, there’s nothing better than gathering at the logo with thousands of your team’s fellow supporters.
LSU head coach Kim Mulkey, however, doesn’t want fans to participate in any court rushing should the Tigers upset South Carolina. She gave a warning to those attending on Thursday.
“Don’t allow it to be bigger than it really is,” Mulkey said in the game’s leadup. “We’re not gonna go run on the floor if we beat them. You’re the defending national champions. Act like you’ve been there.”
That may be the case, but this has been a different team than the one we saw win a title last year. LSU, while still sitting inside the Top 10, hasn’t quite lived up to its lofty preseason No. 1 expectations.
And how many opportunities do you get to host the nation’s top-ranked team on your home floor?
Given how much fans are paying for this contest, they should be able to do as they please!
LSU-South Carolina ticket prices soar
StubHub is currently advertising tickets for some of the top-selling sections between $600 and $1,100. Heck, upper deck tickets are even going for more than $1,000!
If you want to get closer to the court, you’ll have to open up your wallet.
At the time of this writing, the most expensive ticket is north of $9,000. Other secondary markets are showing similar sky-high prices.
Despite paying those high costs, Kim Mulkey is advising against enjoying the moment!
South Carolina was able to storm the court after its men’s team picked up a win over No. 6 Kentucky earlier this week. It doesn’t look like the women’s team will have to deal with having the tables turned.