Women’s Final Four a hot ticket in resale

Ticket prices on the secondary market are substantially higher for the NCAA women’s Final Four than for the men’s semifinals.

The women will play in a much smaller venue on Friday, but they also have more recognizable names left in the tournament. On the men’s side heading into Saturday’s semifinals, only UConn is close to a traditional basketball power.

“I think it’s pretty incredible,” Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, voted AP player of the year on Thursday, said of the difference in ticket prices for her Hawkeyes’ date with No. 1 South Carolina at the 20,000-seat American Airlines Center in Dallas. “I think it’s starting to get the viewership, the attention … that it deserves. When people really turn on the TV or sit in the seat, they understand how good the product is and how much fun it is to watch.”

An all-session ticket for the women’s Final Four was at least $475 (U.S.) on StubHub and $335 on Vivid Seats before fees as of Thursday afternoon. Men’s all-session tickets for Saturday’s games at Houston’s 75,000-seat NRG Stadium were going for as low as $65.

Miller NBA bound

Alabama all-American forward Brandon Miller plans to enter the NBA after one season of college ball that was blemished by revelations he was present at a fatal shooting near campus in January. The sixfoot-nine, 200-pound freshman, who was one of the nation’s top high school recruits, is a projected top-five pick.

Miller had the most productive season of any freshman in Alabama history, leading the Tide to their first No. 1 ranking in 20 years, and first No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed.

Miller averaged 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds while hitting 38 per cent from three-point range. But in his first March Madness game, he went scoreless. And in a Sweet 16 loss to San Diego State, he shot 3 of 19.

Miller was a co-operating witness after the Jan. 15 shooting and was never charged with a crime. But he and the Tide were dogged by questions for the final two months of the season. Former Alabama player Darius Miles and another man were charged with capital murder in the shooting of Jamea Harris.

Miles to go

One year after withdrawing his name from consideration, TCU guard Mike Miles Jr. entered the NBA draft. Miles averaged 17.9 points while playing in 27 of TCU’s 35 games. He shot 49.7 per cent.