(HALIFAX, N.S.) – Tickets for the 2018 Subway AUS Basketball Championships are now on sale through Ticket Atlantic. This year's championship weekend will take place Friday, March 2 to Sunday, March 4, 2018 at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.
The women's championship, presented by Wilsons Security, and the men's championship, presented by G-Series, will be hosted jointly by Atlantic University Sport.
The women's championship began running concurrently with the men's in 2015 as a two-year pilot project which was extended for an additional season in 2017.
In May, AUS announced the joint championship as a permanent yearly fixture at Scotiabank Centre.
"Since joining these two championships in 2015, we have seen attendance to the event steadily increase," said AUS executive director Phil Currie. "Community support for the women's championship in particular has grown each year. We saw almost 2,000 more people attend the women's games this past year than in 2016. Word is spreading about this equally high-calibre women's product and fans are responding. All told, we saw just shy of 19,000 people come through the doors over the course of the weekend in 2017 and we're confident that number will continue to grow."
Tickets can be purchased through the Ticket Atlantic box office by calling (902)451-1221 or their toll-free line at 1-877-451-1221. Tickets can also be obtained online through the Ticket Atlantic website at www.ticketatlantic.com.
Those looking to buy floor tickets may do so by calling the AUS office directly at (902)425-4235. Tickets for the best seats in the house are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Fans are encouraged to call early to secure their seats.
Floor 'super packages', which include a seat to all 10 games, are priced at $160. Lower bowl super packages will be sold at a cost of $115 for adults, $65 for seniors (60+) and students, and $25 for youth under 12. Fans also have the option of purchasing ticket packages for exclusively the women's championship or exclusively the men's. Prices for these breakout packages can be found on the Ticket Atlantic website.
Tickets for individual sessions will go on sale one week prior to the championship once team seeding and the tournament schedule have been determined.
Fans are encouraged to check out their favourite teams at www.atlanticuniversitysport.com for a look back at first semester play, current standings and the upcoming winter schedule as 16 AUS teams compete for a spot in the 2018 Subway AUS Basketball Championships.
The championship weekend will be filled with entertainment for all ages. Each of the games will feature a half-time show with live music, dancing, exciting contests and more. Giveaways and fan competitions will take place during timeouts and between quarters.
The championship weekend will consist of 10 games – five men's and five women's – played amongst the top six men's and top six women's teams in AUS.
The weekend will kick off with the women's quarterfinal doubleheader Friday afternoon. The fourth-seeded team will face off against the fifth-seeded team at 1 p.m., followed by a 3 p.m. matchup between the third and sixth-seeded teams.
The men's quarterfinals will take place Friday evening at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. and will follow the same format.
Semifinal Saturday will be jam-packed with action as the four winning teams advance to face off against the top two men's and women's teams. The women's semifinals will be played at 1 and 3 p.m. as the lowest remaining seed faces off against the conference leaders in the first matchup and the second-ranked team squares off against the highest remaining seed in the second game.
The men's semifinals will follow that evening at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. and will follow the same format.
The winners of each of Saturday's semi-final games will face off on Championship Sunday at 1 p.m. (women's) and 4:30 p.m. (men's).
Teams will be competing for their respective 2018 AUS basketball championship banners and the opportunity to compete in their U SPORTS national championships.
The AUS women's champion will advance to the 2018 U SPORTS women's basketball championship being hosted March 8-11 at the University of Regina.
The Atlantic conference will once again have two berths in the men's national championship as Acadia hosts the U SPORTS Final 8 men's basketball championship March 8-11 at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.
The AUS berths will go to Acadia, as host, and the AUS champion. Should the Axemen capture the 2018 AUS title, the second Atlantic conference berth will be awarded to the runner up.