Some Duke basketball enthusiasts are now significantly poorer.
During the ESPN College GameDay festivities inside Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday morning, one Duke basketball fan held up a sign with the following text:
“I spent my kid’s inheritance to be here! Bucketlist.”
Of course, it is unclear exactly how much dough the child of this female patron will one day miss out on due to her decision to attend this historic Duke-UNC rivalry bout — in what is the final home game for 42nd-year head coach Mike Krzyzewski. Chances are, though, the figure is well into the thousands.
After all, as the official Twitter account of the program noted, the ticket prices exceed anything the basketball world has ever seen:
TODAY: the most expensive ticket in basketball history pic.twitter.com/szH8ehkaTu
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 5, 2022
The average price is $5,307. The “get-in” price is $3,690. And the top price is $250K for an auctioned ticket of a charitable nature.
Plenty on the line for both Duke basketball and UNC
The No. 4 Duke Blue Devils (26-4, 16-3 ACC) host the unranked UNC Tar Heels (22-8, 14-5 ACC) at 6 p.m. ET. Both ESPN and the ACC Network will air the clash.
Regardless of the outcome, Duke has clinched its first outright ACC regular-season crown since 2006 and a No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. Nevertheless, this battle represents an opportunity for the program to honor Coach K in style. Plus, the Blue Devils are in a fight to capture a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and may be unable to afford any more losses in that quest.
Meanwhile, the Tar Heels hope to solidify an at-large ticket to the Big Dance. Moreover, they have a chance to seize at least one type of eternal bragging rights over their foes from eight miles down Tobacco Road.
Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball news and views.