Women's Final Four ticket resales average twice as much as men's
The average price paid for a ticket on the resale market this week was twice as high for the NCAA women's Final Four compared with that for the men's semifinals, according to a technology company that analyzes prices across multiple platforms.
The average price of a ticket sold to the women's semifinals was $2,323; the average sale price for the men's was $1,001.21, Logitix reported Wednesday.
The women's games Friday match Iowa against Connecticut and South Carolina against North Carolina State at 19,432-seat Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland. Including data from sales made a month ago and longer, the average price for the women's semifinals is $1,131.78, compared with $400.29 for the same period in 2023.
The men's games Saturday pit Purdue against North Carolina State and Connecticut against Alabama at 63,400-seat State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Overall average ticket price for the men's semifinals is $993.70, compared with $636.43 in 2023.
A ticket to the women's championship game on Sunday was selling for an average of $1,110.63 this week. The average ticket to the men's title game Monday was selling for $646.45. LSU STAR REESE DECLARES FOR WNBA DRAFT >> LSU star Angel Reese formally declared for the WNBA draft less than two days after the Tigers' season ended with a loss to Caitlin
Clark and Iowa in the Elite Eight round of the women's NCAA Tournament.
Reese made her announcement Wednesday via a photo shoot in Vogue, saying she was inspired by tennis great Serena Williams retiring in similar fashion in 2022. Reese acknowledged having made her decision to turn pro before March Madness began.
Men's basketball
FOX, AEG ANNOUNCE LAUNCH OF POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT >> Fox Sports and AEG will launch a new postseason college basketball tournament next year.
The College Basketball Crown will be a 16-team tournament that will take place March 31 through April 6, 2025, in Las Vegas. The games will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena. Both venues have hosted college basketball games in the past, including the Pac12 tournaments.
Teams that did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament will be eligible. The Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East — whose games are carried on Fox — will each have two automatic entries. The additional teams will be selected by a committee.
NFL
BILLS AGREE TO TRADE DIGGS TO TEXANS >>
The Buffalo Bills are trading their top receiving threat, Stefon Diggs, to the Houston Texans in a deal that was agreed to on Wednesday.
In announcing the trade, the Bills acquired the Texans' second-round pick in the 2025 draft, which Houston acquired in a trade with
Minnesota. Houston also acquired Buffalo's sixthround pick in this year's draft, and a fifth-rounder in 2025.
Diggs' departure from Buffalo leaves quarterback Josh Allen without his favorite target, and breaks up a tandem that has re-written the team's passing records since the receiver's arrival in a trade with Minnesota in March 2020.
CHIEFS' RICE TAKES `FULL RESPONSIBILITY' FOR HIS PART IN CAR CRASH >>
Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice said that he was taking “full responsibility” for his part in a weekend wreck involving speeding sports cars that caused a chain-reaction crash on a Dallas highway and resulted in minor injuries to four people.
Rice was leasing a Lamborghini SUV that police said was speeding along with a Corvette on North Central Expressway on Saturday. The crash ultimately involved six vehicles, police said, and the occupants of the Lamborghini and Corvette left the scene without providing information.
“Today I met with Dallas PD investigators regarding Saturday's accident. I take full responsibility for my part in this matter and will continue to cooperate with the necessary authorities,” Rice wrote in a post to his Instagram Story. “I sincerely apologize to everyone impacted in Saturday's accident.”
NHL
ALL 10 SKATERS BRAWL OFF OPENING FACEOFF AT START
OF DEVILS-RANGERS GAME >> The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils started
Wednesday night's game with a brawl involving all 10 players on the ice off the opening faceoff.
The main event was Rangers forward Matt Rempe taking on New Jersey's Kurtis MacDermid, with the two having history from the previous time the Devils visited Madison Square Garden on March 11. That night, Kempe refused MacDermid's offer to fight early in the game. Later in the contest, Rempe knocked Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler out of the game with a high elbow and was subsequently suspended for four games.
Along with Rempe, New York defensemen Jacob Trouba and K'Andre Miller and forward Barclay Goodrow were ejected from the game. New Jersey defensemen Kevin Bahl and John Marino, and forwards Chris Tierney and MacDermid also received early exits.
MLB
RANGERS' JUNG TO MISS 8 TO 10 WEEKS >>
Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung will miss eight to 10 weeks after having surgery on his broken right wrist.
Jung originally was projected to miss about six weeks but the team said Wednesday the operation in Phoenix was more complicated than expected.
Jung was hurt when he was hit by a pitch from Tampa Bay reliever Phil Maton on a swinging strike in the ninth inning of the Rangers' 9-3 win on Monday night. He was placed on the 10-day injured list and infielder Justin Foscus was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday.