MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia University Athletics Department is excited to welcome fans and three other teams to the first and second rounds of NCAA women’s basketball tournament play.
Deputy Director of Athletics Ben Murray, it’s been an honor to prepare to welcome the fans from three other Division I programs. But he’s very excited to let those fans see Hope Coliseum and the passion of Mountaineer Nation.
“We want to host them with grace and respect,” Murray said. “We’re excited that Kentucky, the University of Miami of Ohio, and James Madison University will be coming to Morgantown to compete, and we want to show great hospitality like we always do.”
Because of the volume of events happening at Mylan Park, fans traveling to Hope Coliseum should use I-68 to avoid potential backups on I-79. All typical university venue policies will be in effect, including the clear bag policy.
“We want people to come very early to the games,” Murray said. “Parking lots will open at 12:30, and parking will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and once our lots are full, we’ll be sending out a ton of information on secondary lots that will be available.”
The staff wants to get fans in and out of the venue as quickly as possible, so fans are asked to download their tickets prior to arriving at Hope Coliseum. The tickets are all digital, and a spike in fans’ downloads could bog the entry process down.
“All the tickets are mobile tickets, so you need to download your tickets early—do it in advance,” Murray said. “Once you get to the gate, it’s a little more difficult because there are a lot of people trying to download at one time, and we want people to get in as soon as possible.”
Murray said the game will be presented in a neutral fashion as an NCAA regional site, and that means no donor clubs, many general admission seats, and first-come, first-served parking. Fans are also urged to use all of the available seats without leaving gaps between fans. Officials want to make sure every fan with a ticket has an opportunity to get the best seat possible.
“When you are sitting in the GA area, don’t leave any single seats,” Murray said. “We want all the Mountaineer fans to get into the game, so crunch together; they are all chair-back seats so they’re comfortable, but we don’t want to leave any singles out there.”
There is a chance some tickets could be available prior to the start of play, but that is uncertain. Fans should avoid using the secondary market to acquire tickets and watch social media feeds and the university website for the potential availability of tickets.
“We’re going to be able to showcase our Mountaineer fans—that’s our greatest asset,” Murray said. “What they provide, what they provide to our teams, and the energy they bring to the building. So, we’re really excited to showcase that our fans are wonderful and they support our sports teams, and we want to showcase that.”