SMU Athletics announced a new system for complimentary student tickets for the men’s basketball games beginning Jan. 4 in the newly-renovated Moody Coliseum. Students are now required to pick up the free tickets in advance of the games. Seven student sections take up almost half of the lower arena of Moody and one section in the upper deck.
“In exchange for this premium placement, and in anticipation of increased demand, SMU students will now be required to pick up their complimentary game tickets in advance,” an email from the SMU Athletics Department read. “This helps to ensure that the seats will be filled on gameday in support of our student-athletes and a national television audience.”
The tickets will be available in four distribution block dates, with tickets to three upcoming games. Distribution of 725 complimentary student tickets will start Monday at 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. The pick-up window is at the Mustang Ticket Office at the north end of Gerald T. Ford Stadium.
If tickets are still available after the Monday distribution, it will continue Tuesday and Wednesday until all tickets have been distributed.
The issued tickets will be assigned a section — 100, 108, 109, 110, 114, 115 or 214A — and those sections are first-come, first-served. Section 112 will be reserved for “The Mob,” a student fan group that any student can join for $49.
Students who claim tickets during distribution should use them or give them to a fellow student with a valid student ID to use because all tickets are associated with the individual’s SMU ID. If the ticket goes unused, the student with the associated ID will not be able to pick up tickets in the next distribution block. Those who do not utilize tickets they pick up will be notified by SMU email.
For the University of Louisville game March 5, the system will give priority to those students who have attended all previous games.
Students can bring one extra valid SMU ID to pick up one additional ticket at the window. All SMU students who pay the general student fee — all full-time undergraduates and some full-time graduate students — are eligible for complimentary student tickets.
“We are very excited to have so many students surrounding the court,” said Brad Sutton, Senior Associate A.D. for Public Relations and Marketing. “It should give us a true home court advantage and create a tremendous game atmosphere.”
The introduction of this new student ticket plan follows another change to come with the reopening of Moody — the sale of beer and wine in the venue. While the sale of alcohol was one of 79 recommendations by the President’s Task Force on Athletics Marketing, Attendance and Community Outreach, Sutton said the new student ticket plan was not related to the task force.
Student ticket plan Q&A;
Information provided by SMU Athletics
Q: Can I guarantee that I will have a seat at all men’s basketball home games?
A: Tickets are not guaranteed. Seven-hundred and twenty-five tickets will be reserved for students to pick up on the designated pick-up dates. The best way to obtain a ticket to a game is to show up as early as possible on the Mondays listed above as ticket pick-up dates.
Q: Do students get assigned seats?
A: No, students will be assigned to a particular section (Sections 100, 108, 109, 110, 112, 114, 115, & 214A). Seating within each section is first-come, first-served (general admission). Section 112 is reserved for members of “The Mob.”
Q: How early can I get into Moody Coliseum to get my seat?
A: On gamedays, the student entrance, located at the southwest corner of Moody Coliseum between Moody and the Dedman Rec Center, will open 90 minutes prior to tip-off. Students will then be able to select an available seat within the section designated on his/her ticket.
Q: Can I go to a ticket window and pick up a complimentary ticket on gameday?
A: No. If the game is not sold out on gameday, tickets will be available for students to purchase at half price.
Q: Will I be penalized for picking up a ticket and not using it?
A: Yes. The tickets will be scanned upon entry and recorded. If a complimentary ticket goes unused, the student who claimed the ticket will not be eligible to pick up tickets in the next block. Please note that the ticket you pick up will still be associated with your SMU ID, so only allocate the ticket to a fellow student you know will use the ticket. If it goes unused, you will not be able to pick up tickets in the next distribution block.
Q: What should I do with my ticket if I have picked one up and can no longer attend the game?
A: If you cannot attend a game for which you have claimed a ticket, you are encouraged to pass the ticket along to an SMU student with a valid ID for use. Tickets may also be returned to the ticket office for re-distribution prior to gameday. If the ticket office is able to reallocate the ticket, the student will retain their ticket privileges.
Q: When I pick up tickets, do I have to take tickets for all games in that distribution block?
A: No. You may select tickets to one, two or all three games in each distribution block.
Q: How many complimentary tickets am I able to pick up?
A: Students are able to pick up one (1) ticket with a valid SMU Student ID. Any student may bring a second valid SMU Student ID to pick up one (1) additional ticket for a total of two (2) tickets.
Q: Can I sell my complimentary ticket?
A: No. Tickets are transferable only to other SMU students with a valid ID. If any complimentary tickets are found to be sold, ticket privileges linked to that SMU ID may be revoked.
Q: Does this policy impact women’s basketball tickets?
A: Only the UConn women’s game Feb. 25 will require advance ticket pick-up. Those tickets will be distributed Feb. 10 along with the Houston and UCF men’s game tickets. For all other women’s basketball games, students may simply show his/her ID at the gate on gameday for entry.
