Nov. 4, 2012

MANHATTAN, Kan. - Student tickets for the Dec. 22 Hy-Vee Wildcat Classic between K-State and Florida at the Sprint Center in Kansas City will go on sale Tuesday at a special price of $10, athletics officials announced today.
 
K-State students holding ICAT season basketball tickets will have first opportunity to purchase tickets beginning at 8:30 a.m., Tuesday at the Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum.  Students with general admission season tickets may purchase tickets beginning on Wednesday.  All other K-State students may purchase tickets beginning on Thursday.  All purchases must be done in-person at the ticket office with a valid student ID.

Students who purchase a ticket to the Hy-Vee Wildcat Classic will receive a make-up point towards their early entry point total, which encourages student attendance at all home games while creating a priority system for game-day lineup procedures at Bramlage Coliseum for the Kansas game on Jan. 22.  For more information on the men's basketball student line-up, please visit www.k-statesports.com/earlyentry/.

The third annual Classic between K-State and Florida will tip off at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22 and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.  Under first-year head coach Bruce Weber, the Wildcats return 12 lettermen, including four starters, from a team that won 22 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years.  The two-time national champion Gators, under head coach Billy Donovan, return nine lettermen, including three starters, from a squad that won 26 games and fell to Louisville in the West Regional Final.

The game with Florida marks the sixth consecutive year that the Wildcats will play a non-conference game at the 18,897-seat Sprint Center, which will also host the squad for the 2013 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championships, March 13-16.  K-State is 4-1 in those five previous meetings at the Sprint Center, including a 71-58 win over Alabama in 2011.
 
Public tickets are still available for the Sprint Center game at $30 (lower-level end zone), $20 (upper level sideline) and $10 (upper level end zone).  Tickets can be purchased through the Athletic Ticket Office at (800) 221.CATS and at www.kstatesports.com.  Fans can also order through all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling (800) 745.3000 or online at www.Ticketmaster.com.
 
Kansas State will play its final exhibition game on Sunday, as the Wildcats take on Emporia State at 1 p.m.  The squad opens the regular season on Friday, Nov. 9 in the second game of a doubleheader, as the women's basketball team plays Idaho State at 5:30 p.m. before the men's team plays North Dakota at 8 p.m.  Single-game tickets to the exhibition and non-conference slate are on sale now, along with several ticket packages.  Single-game men's tickets start at $20.