Apparently the players aren't the only ones excited about the Michigan men's basketball team's upcoming run for the NCAA Tournament.

As of yesterday afternoon, approximately 1,600 students had bought season tickets, according to Marty Bodnar, Athletic Department director of ticket operations. Just 601 students purchased tickets last year. Even without the number of additional applications that came in before yesterday's priority deadline, this is the largest student season ticket fan base since former head coach Brian Ellerbe's first season in 1997-98. This is despite the fact that important games against Michigan State, UCLA and Wisconsin occur during University breaks and thus are not part of the student ticket package.

The ticket office has received a flurry of applications since it was announced late last week that the Wolverines have become eligible to play in either the NCAA or NIT Tournament after the NCAA reversed the team's postseason ban for this season.

"There certainly has been more buzz since the announcement," Bodnar said.

But Bodnar couldn't attribute the jump in sales to the team's newfound ability to compete for the postseason since there are many other factors that could have contributed to the increase. The Wolverines came out of nowhere to finish third in the Big Ten last season with a 10-6 record (17-13 overall). Students who bought tickets last season were able to purchase them for free, and all students, in general, are more likely to turn in applications right before the deadline.

The announcement has, however, motivated some students to go ahead and purchase tickets. LSA freshman Sara Kase said she had been considering buying tickets, but her and her roommate finally decided to buy them after the announcement. "I definitely gave it a second thought because I thought the games would be more fun," Kase said.

After reading about the NCAA decision, Business School junior Jon Disner got his housemates to go in on tickets. But he had planned on purchasing them regardless of the announcement because of how well the Wolverines played last season, he said.

"I wanted to get tickets to support the team," Disner said.

Students who turned in their applications before yesterday's deadline will have a chance at sitting in one of the 477 unassigned bleacher seats on the floor donated to the Athletic Department by an anonymous donor. Students who had tickets last season will automatically be placed in the bleachers and will have their checks returned. Then, if any seats remain, a lottery will be held among new applicants. The rest of the students will be assigned seats behind the bleachers.

Although the priority deadline has passed, Bodnar stressed that students can still buy season tickets. Season tickets will be available until about a week before the first exhibition game against Michigan Tech on Nov. 8th. The ticket package is $115.

"Students can still jump aboard the Maize Rage," Bodnar said.