Louisville - Kentucky Matchup Pushing Ticket Prices Up

Tickets for tonight’s Sweet 16 games at Lucas Oil Stadium are selling for as much as $5,000.

Those coming to see the Michigan-Tennessee and Kentucky-Louisville games are being warned to watch out for fakes sold by scalpers.

Adam Baker with the Indianapolis Department of Code Enforcement says prices for this weekend’s Midwest Regional games likely will be more expensive than those for the Final Four.

"Every indication that we've seen so far is: A. we have not seen a ticket, yet, go for face value; and B. everything is telling us that the tickets for the upcoming (Kentucky) versus Louisville game alone is going to be more expensive than the National Championships," he said.

That means some are using the opportunity to try to make a quick buck by selling counterfeits. 

"They could sell one ticket for 500 percent above face value, walk away with a $400 profit and it could be a counterfeit ticket," said Baker.  "And, in a heartbeat they are gone and no one knows where they went and no one knows where to find them."

Crews refined their undercover operations to target illegal ticket sales during the Big Ten Tournaments earlier this month and will be downtown this weekend keeping an eye out.

"We are going to have people that are going to be out undercover that are going to be soliciting tickets and once they make that transaction, that purpose, we will write that citation," said Baker.  "That citation can carry a fine anywhere up to $2,500, as well as, you can have those ticket confiscated.  So, we tell folks that if that is your game plan to come down here and participate in illegal activity, it's not worth it one bit."

All ticket brokers appropriately licensed for this weekend’s upcoming games will carry Licensed Ticket Broker credentials featuring the insignia of DCE, the NCAA, and other security measures.

Baker says tickets can be sold up to 15 percent of face value without requiring a broker’s license.  Online sales don’t require that, so he advices that any internet purchases come from a reputable dealer such as Ticketmaster and StubHub.

Tonight’s games tip off at 7:15 with Michigan and Tennessee, followed by Louisville and Kentucky.