5 things about hottest ticket

1 In the past 10 years, just 60 seats have become available in the McCarthey Athletic Center to watch Gonzaga men’s basketball.

2 Of the 6,000 seats, some 1,250 student tickets set aside for the games. Students don’t get actual tickets. If they are lucky enough to get in the front of the line, the school electronically activates their student-identification cards.

The students have 24 hours before the game to call in absent.

If they miss a game, the student gets a reminder. If the student misses as second game, they lose ticket privileges for the next two games. A third no-show and the student is barred for the season.

3 The number of available tickets varies on the contest. Typically, about 4,000 go to season ticket holders and 1,250 to students.

Those who contribute at least $250 to the Bulldog Club – but don’t have season tickets – get the first crack to purchase any tickets made available through students being gone on holidays or any unused tickets allotted to opponents.

“When we talk about the wait list, we are talking about how we manage the Bulldog Club and the tickets we have,” Standiford said. “We try to create opportunities either for the season or individual games to experience the environment and be part of the McCarthey Athletic Center experience.”

4 McCarthey construction cost was $25 million. That bill has already been paid off.

5In the past, the school gave incentives to students who made every game, which made it easier for them to get tickets to the West Coast Conference Tournament. “But we found some of our incentives were creating negative outcomes. Some students would come to a game, swipe in and leave because they have other obligations and didn’t want to miss that opportunity,” Gonzaga’s Chris Standiford said. “We have gone away from that. We want our students to stay to the end of the game. They are such an important part of our environment and to create energy in our stadium.”