Northwestern finished 18-13 on the season after going 7-11 in Big Ten play. They ended up in the NIT and are hosting UW-Milwaukee on Wednesday in a 4-5 first-round matchup, and they’re doing what they can to make sure they pack Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Northwestern students normally get into basketball games for free, but the NIT requires schools to charge students. Michael Cronin of WCRX in Chicago informed LBS that Northwestern is charging $5 for tickets which, although not much, could be enough to discourage students from attending. Also not helping matters is that the students are in the middle of finals week.
Coach Bill Carmody is doing what he can to encourage students to attend the game, so he’s picking up the tab for students who want to go to the game, as I learned from Sports by Brooks Live. Even though $5 per ticket isn’t much, it’s still a nice gesture by the coach. I have to admit, I wouldn’t be too motivated to watch my team play in the NIT for $5 if I were in the middle of finals week, and that certainly would be some incentive to show up.
