Southland Conference announces attendance and ticketing plan for basketball tournaments

Tickets for 2021 Hercules Tires Southland Conference Tournaments Now on Sale

FRISCO, Texas – The Southland Conference has established gameday attendance and ticketing guidance for 2021 Hercules Tires Southland Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, to be held March 10-14, at the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.

In consultation with local officials and based on COVID-19 allowances in Fort Bend County, where the arena is located, the Conference will permit up to 50 percent of available seating. A reconfigured Merrell Center, with its normally-used telescopic seating sections unavailable to attendees this year, will be adjusted for a maximum capacity figure of 2,000 fans.

The Southland Tournament will offer a $20 ticket per day, and digital tickets are now available through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com). There will be no hard tickets available for the event, as a digital purchase option will be available to walk-up customers until the adjusted arena capacity is reached. Further, there will be no pass-out policy, and same day re-entry into the Merrell Center will require an additional ticket purchase. Further, all seating will be general admission and distanced with no specified reserved areas for fans of participating teams.

As done at all NCAA venues during the current basketball season, the Merrell Center will feature health and safety protocols established by the NCAA Medical Advisory Group, as well as any directives from the City of Katy, Fort Bend County and the State of Texas. The arena is focused on providing a safe and healthy environment for all game participants, fans, media and broadcasters, and other guests. Masks/face coverings are mandatory for Merrell Center entry, must be worn at all times, and the arena’s common public areas will be cleaned throughout the event.

All tournament games will be televised, as the men’s first round (Wednesday), second round (Thursday) and semifinal (Friday) games will be broadcast on ESPN+, while the championship game will be televised Saturday on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m. Central. The women’s first round (Thursday), second round (Friday) and semifinal (Saturday) games will also be broadcast on ESPN+, while the championship game will be televised Sunday on CBS Sports Network at 1 p.m. Central.

The Southland tournament winners will receive the league’s automatic berths into the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. For more information on the Southland Conference Basketball Tournaments visit www.southland.org.