I was literally about to post the exact same question, as I'm strongly considering going to the game at Akron in a few weeks. Hope someone has info on this.

Yeah! JoeMac getting me pumped about a week from tomorrow! It's on in Kalamazoo on 2/18!

Nice job Joe

the NCAA provides tics for each athlete. Alan , I suspect your tix were on the coaches/players list. Those are usually in designated areas behind the bench unless you run across a prick like the AD at Illinois State who puts visiting parents in the nosebleed seats and laughs at the NCAA compliance guys. In the Convo, Our visitors sit behind their bench while our parents sit to the left of the Ozone as you face them.....a fact that Charlie and I and his wife had an ongoing laugh. I always took time to go down and sit behind the bench when they came to OHIO and say hi and remind him where they sat us at Millet. After 4 years he came up with a great set of tics for our last time over there...of course it helped that Mrs Coop and I serial seat upgraded DJ's frosh year and unknowingly ended up in Mrs COles and Darrel Hedric's seats.

Some schools play fast with these lists and in some cases players families are transplanted to make room for monied boosters . If you look at most tv games you will see visiting parents behind their bench in chairs on the floor or maybe in short bleachers to comply with NCAA suggested seating arrangements. I have been in situations like Pitt where I was on the list and got stuck in the nosebleeds and had to go talk to an opposing team player pre game. He was a kid I had coached in grade school so I got a better seat from the Pitt folk than our own team provided.....on the floor courtside as opposed to the next to last row sec 205 in the upper deck. If I am driving from Indiana to Pitt you bet I am not gonna end up in the upper deck while someone who shows up once or twice a year sits on the floor. Got to meet FearLeon later that night Turned out well.

Players who have family in the area are often given unused spots on the list by other players who may not be using them that game in return for that local players consideration at a later date. RHodes and Ku were really good at garnering tix for guys like Leon when we were going home to Maryland to play. Eric Montross got the same treatment when UNC came to Indiana to play.

That is an NCAA mandate and is summarized in the following document from a member institution to their athletes.......



PLAYER PASS LIST - HOME and AWAY CONTESTS IN SPORT OF PARTICIPATION

Player Pass Lists apply only to ticketed sports: Volleyball, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Wrestling, Softball and Baseball. All other sports have open admission to all guests.

Adding Names to the Pass List

Student-athletes are allowed up to 4 complimentary admissions for friends and family according to NCAA rules.

Contests will be available for guest assignment approximately one week prior to the date of the contest until 2 days prior to the competition. Once the allocation window is closed, no guests may be added to the list - - - No Exceptions

Distribution of Tickets
Compliance will print the pass list on the day of the event and monitor the distribution of tickets at the box office/gate. Those individuals receiving tickets will be required to show a valid picture ID and provide a signature. At the conclusion of each event, the pass list is then provided to the game management supervisor to be included in the gate sales report.

Only general admission seating shall be allowed. Premium seating is not available to designees on the pass list. No upgrades will be issued.

No tickets shall be issued to any person who is not designated on the list by the student athlete.

Only 1 ticket shall be issued to each person who is designated on the list by the student athlete (exception: parents with children).

The compliance office will periodically review the roster to assure that all athletes on the roster are eligible to receive complimentary tickets. At any time, if a student athlete becomes ineligible, the student will lose the right to assign guest tickets.


Related NCAA rules

16.2.1.1 Institutional Events in the Student-Athlete's Sport.
An institution may provide four complimentary admissions per home or away intercollegiate athletics event to a student-athlete in the sport in which the individual participates (either practices or competes), regardless of whether the student-athlete competes in the contest.

16.2.2.1 Sale of Complimentary Admissions.
A student-athlete may not receive payment from any source for his or her complimentary admissions and may not exchange or assign them for any item of value.

16.2.1.2 General Regulations.
Complimentary admissions shall be provided only through a pass list for individuals designated by the student-athlete. "Hard tickets" shall not be issued. The student-athlete's eligibility shall be affected by involvement in action contrary to the provisions of Bylaws 16.2.1.1 and 16.2.2.1 (receipt of more than the permissible four complimentary admissions or the sale or exchange of a complimentary admission for any item of value). (Revised: 1/11/94 effective 8/1/94, 1/14/08)

16.2.1.2.1 Issuance Procedures.
The individual using the complimentary admission must present identification to the person supervising the use of the pass list at the admission gate. The individual then shall be provided a ticket stub or other identification of a specified reserved seat or seating area or treated as a general-admission ticket holder. (Revised: 11/1/01 effective 8/1/02)

PLAYER PASS LIST - HOME CONTESTS IN OTHER SPORTS

16.2.1.3 Institution's Home Events in Other Sports.
An institution may provide admission for each student-athlete to all of the institution's regular-season home intercollegiate athletics events in sports other than that in which the student-athlete is a participant, via a printed student-athlete pass or gate list. Proof of identity shall be required upon admission.

Okay, but it still seems that the visiting section at away games is much larger than the capacity needed to accommodate those on a player/coach pass list.

Take football for example. At Miami, the visiting section is one huge section that extends from the first row to the very top of Yager Stadium. How do I get a ticket that assigns my butt to that section? Those can't all be player/coach passes. The only times I ever see our ticket office selling away game tickets is when we are playing against BCS type programs (UK, Ohio State, Louisville, etc.).

For football - I think this varies on which person is running the ticket office, since it seems to turn over every year or so the past few years.

Anyway, typically all away FB games are available by calling the ticket office (well in advance). I think there's a date, typically 2/3 weeks where I think the unsold tickets are sent back to the away school. At least that's been my experience. They advertise the 'big' game, but most are available.

And I think in more recent seasons, you can buy them online, on the xosn.com site with your account/pw. I don't see any this year for away hoops games though. So I think it really depends on who's running the show.

Gotta love a ticket office that has a pulse on the fans. :)