When it comes to college hoops, Duke and Kansas are always dominant on the court. But as this season picks up steam, they are also dominating overall NCAA basketball sales.
We combed through all sales data on our system and found that of the 20 best-selling NCAA basketball games this season, Kansas and Duke appear on the ticket for over half of them.
The Jayhawks have a commanding lead of the bunch with eight games heating up the secondary market, including five upcoming games. These sales figures are in line last season as well. Kansas fans fared well the NCAA Basketball tournament selecting nearby Omaha as the Midwest Regional location. As a result, the Jayhawks landed in 11 of the Top 20 games of 2017-18.
Duke currently has three games among the Top 20 best-sellers this season. Among them is their December 20 clash with Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden and a home bout with Indiana next week. But while they’re second to Kansas, the Blue Devils have won a bigger battle: out-selling UNC. Duke appeared in six of the Top 20 games last season, marking their resurgence in college hoops sales after their instate foe dominated the best-sellers list in 2015 and 2016.
Both Kansas and Duke appeared on the ticket of the best-selling game this season: the State Farm Champions Classic earlier this month. Subsequently, they could also end up in the No. 2 game, the 2019 NCAA Basketball tournament Final Four, which is all-too-familiar territory for each. Kansas made their 15th Final Four appearance in school history last season, while Duke has made it to the final weekend of the Big Dance 16 times, including 12 times under coach Mike Krzyzewski.
See the full list of best-selling games below.
Top 20 Best-Selling NCAA Basketball Games of 2018-19
| Rank | Event | Venue | City | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Farm Champions Classic: Michigan State vs. Kansas & Duke vs. Kentucky | Bankers Life Fieldhouse | Indianapolis, IN | Nov. 6, 2018 |
| 2 | 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament: Final Four – All Sessions Pass | US Bank Stadium | Minneapolis, MN | Apr. 6, 2019 |
| 3 | Crossroads Classic: Purdue Boilermakers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish & Butler Bulldogs vs. Indiana Hoosiers | Bankers Life Fieldhouse | Indianapolis, IN | Dec. 15, 2018 |
| 4 | Kansas Jayhawks vs. Stanford Cardinal | Allen Fieldhouse | Lawrence, KS | Dec. 1, 2018 |
| 5 | Duke Blue Devils vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders | Madison Square Garden | New York, NY | Dec. 20, 2018 |
| 6 | SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament – All Sessions Pass | Bridgestone Arena | Nashville, TN | Mar. 13, 2019 |
| 7 | Kansas Jayhawks vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns | Allen Fieldhouse | Lawrence, KS | Nov. 16, 2018 |
| 8 | Kansas Jayhawks vs. Villanova Wildcats | Allen Fieldhouse | Lawrence, KS | Dec. 15, 2018 |
| 9 | Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Holiday Showcase: UConn vs. Vanderbilt | Mohegan Sun Arena – CT | Uncasville, CT | Nov. 17, 2018 |
| 10 | Kansas Jayhawks vs. Oklahoma Sooners | Allen Fieldhouse | Lawrence, KS | Jan. 2, 2019 |
| 11 | 2K Classic: Syracuse vs. UConn & Oregon vs. Iowa | Madison Square Garden | New York, NY | Nov. 15, 2018 |
| 12 | Kansas Jayhawks vs. New Mexico State Aggies | Sprint Center | Kansas City, MO | Dec. 8, 2018 |
| 13 | Kansas Jayhawks vs. Vermont Catamounts | Allen Fieldhouse | Lawrence, KS | Nov. 12, 2018 |
| 14 | ACC Mens Basketball Tournament: All Sessions Pass | Spectrum Center | Charlotte, NC | Mar. 12, 2019 |
| 15 | Duke Blue Devils vs. Indiana Hoosiers | Cameron Indoor Stadium | Durham, NC | Nov. 27, 2018 |
| 16 | Kansas Jayhawks vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders | Allen Fieldhouse | Lawrence, KS | Feb. 2, 2019 |
| 17 | CBS Sports Classic: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. UCLA Bruins & Kentucky Wildcats vs. North Carolina Tar Heels | United Center | Chicago, IL | Dec. 22, 2018 |
| 18 | 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament: Midwest Regional – All Sessions Pass | Sprint Center | Kansas City, MO | Mar. 29, 2019 |
| 19 | Indiana Hoosiers vs. Louisville Cardinals | Assembly Hall – IN | Bloomington, IN | Dec. 8, 2018 |
| 20 | 2018 Las Vegas Invitational – 2 Day Pass | Orleans Arena | Las Vegas, NV | Nov. 22, 2018 |
Given Kansas and Duke’s dominance in this season’s best-selling games, it’s unsurprising that they also have some of the most in-demand tickets in all of NCAA basketball. Therefore, high ticket prices are the result. The average ticket to catch a Jayhawks game at Allen Fieldhouse this season currently stands at $150 – a four-year high.
Duke’s place among NCAA basketball royalty continues to keep their average ticket prices in Durham rather steep. This season, the Blue Devils’ home games are garnering an average ticket price of $381 – down from last year’s $433 average but a notable increase from the $271 they drew per ticket in 2015-16.
By comparison, rivals Kentucky and UNC were the only other teams from the latest AP NCAA Basketball Top 25 rankings to have average tickets above $100, coming in at $102 and $113, respectively. Virginia, Auburn, Michigan and Wisconsin all have season ticket prices averaging between $50-$100. However, teams like Florida State, Nevada, Tennessee, Kansas State and Oregon all fell under $50 per ticket on average.
NCAA Basketball Top 25 – 2018-19 Average Ticket Prices*
| Rank | Team | Home Venue | Season Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke | Cameron Indoor Stadium | $381.00 |
| 2 | Kansas | Allen Fieldhouse | $150.00 |
| 3 | Gonzaga | McCarthey Athletic Center | N/A |
| 4 | Virginia | John Paul Jones Arena | $87.00 |
| 5 | Tennessee | Thompson-Boling Arena | $36.00 |
| 6 | Nevada | Lawlor Events Center | $41.00 |
| 7 | UNC | Dean Smith Center | $113.00 |
| 8 | Auburn | Auburn Arena | $69.00 |
| 9 | Michigan | Crisler Center | $66.00 |
| 10 | Kentucky | Rupp Arena | $102.00 |
| 11 | Michigan State | Jack Breslin Arena | $48.00 |
| 12 | Kansas State | Bramlage Coliseum | $35.00 |
| 13 | Virginia Tech | Cassel Coliseum | $49.00 |
| 14 | Florida State | Donald L Tucker Civic Center | $45.00 |
| 15 | Mississippi State | Humphrey Coliseum | N/A |
| 16 | Clemson | Littlejohn Coliseum | $20.00 |
| 17 | UCLA | Pauley Pavilion | $49.00 |
| 18 | TCU | Schollmaier Arena | $26.00 |
| 19 | LSU | Pete Maravich Assembly Cener | $24.00 |
| 20 | Iowa | Carver Hawkeye Arena | $32.00 |
| 21 | Oregon | Matthew Knight Arena | $36.00 |
| 22 | Buffalo | Alumni Arena | N/A |
| 23 | Ohio State | Value City Arena | $77.00 |
| 24 | Purdue | Mackey Arena | $47.00 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | Kohl Center | $74.00 |
*prices accurate as of November 21, 2018
Both Kansas and Duke have opened their seasons perfectly and remain undefeated thus far. However, they will face tough tests in the coming weeks. The Jayhawks will take on reigning national champs Villanova on December 15. On the other hand, Duke is set to face Clemson in their first game of 2019.