How Does the Big 12 Tournament Compare to Other Conferences?

The Big 12 Conference tournament starts Wednesday night in Kansas City.

Unfortunately for Texas Basketball, the Longhorns are playing on Opening Night after finishing last in the Big 12 regular season standings.

Texas will have to pull off what Jarrett Allen described as a “miracle run” of four wins in four nights to make the NCAA Tournament. There is no chance of making the NIT or another secondary post-season tournament. It all comes down to winning the Big 12 tournament.

The interesting thing about the Big 12 tournament, though, is how ticket prices compare to other major conferences.

The SEC Tournament commands big dollars because of Kentucky’s fanbase. But, ticket prices for the Big 12 tournament are only 41 percent of the average SEC tourney ticket price despite Kansas’ big fanbase.

According to TickPick, the SEC leads the way with an average ticket price of $399.28. Next is the Big East, then ACC, then Big 12. But, the Big 12 is ahead of the Big 10 tournament and Pac 12 tournament.

Comparison of Conference Tournament Ticket Prices

The following is a comparison of where each conference tournament is being held, the top local team(s) in the region, and why the conferences are ranked accordingly.

(1) SEC Tournament – Nashville, Tenn. – $399.28 average ticket price. Tennessee and Vanderbilt are the top local teams, but this is about Kentucky’s massive fanbase traveling to Nashville and driving up ticket prices because of the high demand.

(2) Big East Tournament – New York City at MSG – $285.13. St. John’s is the local team, but this is about Madison Square Garden. Plus, it’s the 35th anniversary of Big East basketball at MSG.

(3) ACC Tournament – New York City at the Barclays Center – $208.17. Well, Syracuse is the closest local team, but this is definitely not your traditional ACC Tournament in Greensboro. Pooling together the fanbases of Syracuse, Duke, and North Carolina helped drive up the prices in NYC.

(4) Big 12 Tournament – Kansas City – $167.51. Kansas, Kansas State, and Iowa State traditionally bring the most fans to K.C. for the tournament. But, the rest of the league is hit-or-miss. Kansas cannot pull the weight alone despite its fanbase, so ticket prices are average.

(5) Big 10 Tournament – Washington, D.C. – $162.70. Conference newcomer Maryland is the beneficiary of this strange placement. This isn’t Indianapolis or Chicago, and without a dominant Big 10 team this season to drive interest, ticket prices have slumped. If only the tournament were in Chicago this year for Northwestern’s best basketball season … perhaps ever.

(6) Pac-12 Tournament – Las Vegas – $127.48. Way down the major tournament list is the Pac-12 tournament. The tournament was conveniently held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles through 2012. But, the tournament moved to Vegas in 2013, creating extra travel for most fanbases. Attendance has risen each year from 2013 to 2016, but ticket prices are still well below other conferences.

The SEC Tournament captures how big of an impact Kentucky has on college basketball. It’s why host sites in the NCAA Tournament want the Wildcats in their region.

Next: 5 UT Players Who Need To Be Epic In Big 12 Tourney

Perhaps one day the Big 12 will be able to compete if the Texas schools experience a resurgence in basketball. Then, the big population centers in Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio would flock to Kansas City to see who can knock off Kansas.