May 12, 2002
Albany, NY. - Pepsi Arena officials announced today that the random selection lottery to allocate the general public allotment of tickets has been completed and the 2003 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship East Regional has officially been declared a sellout.
The event, scheduled for March 28 and 30 at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, NY, will feature four teams that will play for the right to advance to the 2003 NCAA Final Four at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Over 10,000 applications for a limited number of general public tickets were received by the box office at the Pepsi Arena in Albany during the five-week general public application process. Applications were made available in March and a random selection lottery was conducted recently to determine the recipients.
"When we announced that applications were available it was obvious that the demand was going to exceed the number of tickets that we could make available to the general public," said Pepsi Arena General Manager Bob Belber. "There is tremendous interest in NCAA basketball in our region and this sellout reflects our community's support for events such as this. We are proud of our relationship with the NCAA and our entire staff is excited to be hosting one of college athletics' premier events."
"The sellout is another example of the excitement and support for the college athletics in the Albany Region. In particular, MAAC basketball fans look forward to the conference hosting these events and we are happy we can provide access to tickets to our local supporters," says Rich Ensor, Commissioner of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
"The NCAA Regional will be a landmark sporting event for the Capital Region. The NCAA selected the Pepsi Arena as a regional site because of the fans in the Capital District," said Siena College Director of Athletics John D'Argenio. "The fact that this event has sold out this quickly proves that this is a basketball area. This is an event that Siena's season ticket holder's will truly enjoy."
The East Regional in Albany is the first of the 2003 Division I Men's Basketball Championship sites to sell out. The Pepsi Arena also played host to the sold out 1995 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship First and Second Rounds.
Applicants who will be receiving tickets to this event will receive notice via mail by June 1, 2003. All refunds for those who were unsuccessful in the lottery will be processed and patrons will be notified of the status of their application by June 1. Tickets will be mailed in January.
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and Siena College will host the 2003 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship East Regional.
