The NCAA has decided to change the start time for the First Round matchup between host Johns Hopkins University and Penn St. Harrisburg. Originally, the Johns Hopkins game was scheduled to begin at 3:30 PM on Friday, and tickets were to be sold for the two-game event; it has now been pushed back to 6:00, and with the split game times, Yeshiva-WPI will be treated as a separate session.
Although no official statement has been released on the matter, it can be assumed that this change was made due to an overwhelming response from Jews looking to watch the game in person. Originally, it appears as if only ⅙ of the Goldfarb Gymnasium, which according to a member of athletics at Johns Hopkins seats only 980, was going to be set aside for fans of each road team, with the rest for the home crowd and general admission. While no official tallies have been released yet, it can be assumed that there will be many more seats now open to YU fans.
Additionally, our sources tell us that the tickets will not be sold at the door, as many had originally assumed. Instead, it appears as if each team will be given a set number of tickets, and it will be the schools’ responsibilities to sell their lot. Any unsold or unclaimed tickets would then be sold at the door on Friday, likely on a first come, first serve basis. Goldfarb will open to the public at 12 PM, one hour before game time.
This is the first time that Johns Hopkins, a team which has hosted multiple times in recent years, will have a split session, a rarity in the NCAA DIII Tournament. In between games, the gym will be cleared, in order to ensure that all seats are filled by the proper ticket-holders.
The Saturday night gametime remains TBA, and will presumably vary depending on whether or not the Macs are victorious on Friday.
Keep your eyes peeled to MacsLive.com, as well as our and Yeshiva Athletics’ social media pages, for more breaking news related to the NCAA Tournament.
Do we have a link for hop tv?