[Husker] NU/Oregon Basketball Game

[Gary Fead]

Good Evening All:

 

Earlier today Bob Beach commented on the NU/Oregon basketball game to be
played at Qwest Center Omaha in December. This game is the other half of a
"neutral and neutral" series that started last year in Portland, Oregon.
Oregon agreed to play Nebraska in a made for TV game but neither game could
be played on the other's home court, thus the reason the game is played at
Qwest Center Omaha. Tickets for this game will be included in the basketball
season ticket package for the upcoming season so a presale of around 7,500
is guaranteed.

 

As Bob pointed out the Qwest Center is Creighton's home court (btw NU is
bringing in a court and will not play on Creighton's floor), however (and
this has been a big discussion here in Omaha) the Qwest Center is owned by
the taxpayers of the City of Omaha who have hired a governing board (MECA)
and management group to run the building. Like it or not Creighton (as much
as they might like to think they do) does not own this building and as such
should have absolutely no say in who the building is rented out to. It is
MECA's job to schedule events that sell well and retire the debt on this
building (including the convention center which is doing poorly). 

 

If the fine folks at Creighton wish to complain about Nebraska playing one
basketball game in that building then perhaps we should question why it is
that all of the tickets for the NCAA Men's Basketball First and Second Round
regional to be held at Qwest Center Omaha next March (2008) were sold
entirely to Creighton season ticket holders. This situation was poorly
handled, I certainly understand offering your season ticket base the
opportunity to purchase tickets to this event but when the event didn't sell
out to them  they should have then been offered to the public. Instead the
fine folks in the Creighton ticket office conducted a second "pleading" with
their season ticket base to purchase all of the tickets. 

 

NU Volleyball has played several matches at Qwest Center Omaha and will play
there again this upcoming season three times, even joining with Creighton to
host a volleyball doubleheader on Sunday, September 2nd. In this case
Nebraska's drawing power will almost certainly fill the building, something
Creighton can't even do in the Omaha Civic Auditorium with 10,000 fewer
seats. Tickets for the Nebraska/Penn State volleyball match on September 2nd
are on sale now via Ticketmaster in case anyone wishes to attend. 

 

Gary Fead

Omaha