Purdue being overshadowed by Super Bowl?

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Purdue and Indiana University are meeting head to head on the basketball court this Saturday.

But has the college basketball game been overshadowed by the bigger ball game down I-65?
Those die-hard Purdue fans we talked to Tuesday are, of course, making it a point to watch this game, and after a last minute push, it seems every seat in Mackey Arena will be filled.

Despite a win last year for Purdue basketball against Indiana University, there was still a small lag in ticket sales this year for this historic rival match-up.

“We had about 300 tickets left by the end of last week, Monday morning put them on sale to our students and they were gone by the end of the day,” said Tom Schott, Associate Athletic Director.

The last minute push in ticket sales may mean more students can attend the game, but some weren't happy about paying top dollar for entry to one of the most competitive games of the season.

“I am going to the game. Spent 50 bucks on a student ticket. For 50 bucks, I got ripped off, but whatever, it's worth it,” said Al Wong, Purdue student.

So does the slower pace of ticket sales have anything to do with the even bigger sporting event taking place down the interstate in Indianapolis?

“I think that we've definitely been overshadowed a little bit by the Super Bowl,” said Katie Stillman, Purdue fan.

“Being from Indiana and everything, I imagine the Super Bowl has overshadowed it a little bit. But I imagine at least this year, it's a better competition between the two teams,” said Kevin Schmoll, Purdue fan.

But Schott said any sporting event as big as the Super Bowl can only spell good things for every event in the Greater Lafayette area.

“Obviously, we were able to sell all the tickets, so we were thrilled with that. We're thrilled that the Super Bowl is just down the road. It should be a great weekend in sports for Central Indiana,” said Schott.

And, of course, when we asked for predictions on who would come out the winner, every fan said, without hesitation, Purdue's going to take this one again.