OU-Tennessee Will Play Before Sellout Crowd

Oklahoma fans have made history. The final ticket for the OU-Tennessee women's basketball game, set for this Sunday at 2 p.m., in Norman, was sold at 5 p.m., Thursday. The first sellout of an Oklahoma regular season women's basketball game is in the books.

The Sooners are 8-0 and currently ranked No. 13 in the nation, while Tennessee is 5-0 and currently ranked No. 2.

"Wow," said OU head coach Sherri Coale. "I am so excited and now I can't wait to hear how involved they are in the game. I think about the men's game against Purdue the other night and how involved that crowd was in that game. If we can get that same thing, our crowd with be the sixth man that we need."

Coale said the sellout is another step forward for the program.

"The fact that it sold out three days before the game is very significant to me," she said. "Now the next step is to go out and win the game."

Oklahoma has had capacity crowds at the Lloyd Noble Center before, but only for NCAA Tournament games. This is could be the largest regular-season crowd to gather for a OU women's basketball game, possibly replacing the current record of 10,713 established during the 99-00 season when the Sooners hosted Connecticut.

It also could be the largest crowd ever to witness a women's game in the State of Oklahoma. That distinction currently belongs to the 2002 NCAA Tournament game in which OU hosted Villanova. Some 11,245 attended that game.

The marketing effort for the game was extensive. In addition to traditional advertising and promotions such as print, radio and television, the following mechanisms were used to promote the game vs. Tennessee:

* Love's Travel Stops, the game sponsor for OU vs. Tennessee, made tickets available for purchase at all nine (9) Oklahoma City Metro area Love's Travel Stop locations.

* Phone message from Coale delivered to more than 30,000 residents throughout the 405 area code (nearly 3,000 tickets were sold the day after the message was delivered).

* Internet promotions (pop-up ads and/or banner ads) on SoonerSports.com and newsok.com

* Mass e-mail distribution went to Sooner E-News subscribers.

* Posters were displayed on campus and at Oklahoma City Metro area Love's Travel Stop locations

* Holiday Family Packs (game ticket, small Coke, hot dog, coupon redeemable for an OU t-shirt) were offered to schools and businesses as well as other fans attending in groups of four or more.

The increased attendance will result in several changes from previous games. The lower level is reserved seating and fans must have a reserved ticket to access the area. The upper level is general admission seating. Fans are asked not to leave an empty seat between them in the general admission seating area to ensure that everyone holding a ticket has access to a seat.

An entertaining halftime performance by the All-American Frisbee Dogs is set. NCAA Midwest Regional t-shirts tossed into the crowd after every made OU field goal (OU is hosting the 2004 NCAA Midwest Regional at the LNC tickets are currently on sale through the OU Athletics Ticket Office).

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU-Tennessee Will Play Before Sellout Crowd

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors