Oct. 30, 2006

GREELEY, Colo. - Season tickets are now on sale for University of Northern Colorado men's basketball, women's basketball and wrestling events for the winter 2006-07 seasons.

The men's basketball team will have 13 regular season home games this season including hosting Air Force for the first time since 1978, as well as in-state rival Denver, Pac-10 opponent Oregon State and a full slate of Big Sky Conference opponents. The season marks the first for the Bears under the direction of Greeley native Tad Boyle, who spent the last six seasons as an associate head coach at Wichita State.

The women's team will play 16 regular season contests including hosting a full Big Sky Conference schedule for the first time. Highlights among the non-conference schedule include perennial power Louisville and in-state rivals Air Force, Colorado State and Denver as well as border rival Wyoming. The season is the first for head coach Jaime White, who had previous coaching stints as an assistant coach at Wyoming and Utah.

The season also marks the a new beginning in Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion, as the building received a renovation over the summer and now features all-new chair back seats, new scoreboards and a message center, a new ticket center, a new sound system and renovated concession stands and restrooms among other items.

Adult reserved tickets for men's basketball are $96 for the season while women's basketball adult tickets are just $50. Premium seat packages are available for both, including Courtside VIP Tables (4 seats, $960 a season for men, $650 a season for women) and VIP Courtside Seating ($300 per ticket for the season for men, $200 per ticket for the season for the women).

Basketball fans are invited to an open house and ticket holders will get to pick their seats on Nov. 1 (men's exhibition) and Nov. 3 (women's exhibition). Admission to both events is free and there will be free snacks provided. Following each contest, fans will have an opportunity for a meet and greet autograph session with each squad. The games start at 7 p.m. each day with doors opening for the event at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday and 6:00 p.m. on Friday.

The Northern Colorado wrestling team, which begins its first season in the newly formed Western Wrestling Conference (WWC), hosts five duals during the season but none bigger than its first, which will be held on Friday, Dec. 1. That is when unanimous preseason No. 1 Minnesota comes to Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion, marking the first time the No. 1 team in the country has competed in Greeley since 1962-63. That year the Bears tied No. 1 Oklahoma State, putting the only blemish on the Cowboys record that season. Other home duals include WWC foes Northern Iowa and Wyoming and Pac-10 wrestling foes Oregon State and Portland State.

Adult general admission season tickets for wrestling are just $30.

Tickets are available at the UNC Ticket Office, located in the University Center on campus. Tickets are available to be purchased in person, via the phone at (97) 351-4TIX or online through links at UNCBears.com.