Tickets tough to find

Join the club. All 8,700 seats for tonight's 7:30 tip-off at the Palestra were sold out two weeks ago. The athletic office is even out of press passes, with two writers from Sports Illustrated calling in yesterday to join dozens of other writers from Philadelphia and New York papers courtside. As the clock ticks down towards game time, an already forming black market is the only avenue for ticket seekers. Students looking for seats can try their luck on upenn.forsale, but they had better be ready to spend some cash. One person offered $50 a seat last night, as bidders heavily outnumbered sellers. Those who can't find their way into the Palestra won't find solace at the local bars either. With the game being carried on television by CN8 rather than the more widely available Comcast SportsNet, students wishing to catch the game on TV must take SEPTA trains to bars and restaurants in Lower Montgomery County, which includes the Main Line. Today, however, students who feel left out of the hoops euphoria do have the chance to buy seats for another sure-to-sell-out game. Villanova will put the remaining seats for its home game against Penn on February 23 on sale to the public today at noon. Tickets are $10 each. --Josh Callahan