If you’re an average student with a full-time job, a full class load and those extra service-learning hours, you may have never been to a Seattle University basketball game. It’s okay. It’s not like you hate sports or anything; you have probably just been really busy writing papers about whether or not Socrates was guilty of impiety. Or watching another Miley Cyrus “Wrecking Ball” parody on YouTube so that you can tweet about how great it was. Either way, you’re probably not aware of all the awesome stuff that goes on at Seattle U basketball games, or even where they’re played. Luckily for you, The Spectator has you covered. Here’s a list of some of the things you should know before going to a Seattle U basketball game this year:

Men’s Games Happen at Key Arena

Key Arena—home to graduation ceremonies, roller derbies and Pearl Jam concerts (they play Dec. 6, if you’re into that)—also happens to be where our men’s basketball team plays their games. The arena itself is big enough to give you that sporting-event vibe that makes you want to paint your face and throw drinks at people cheering for the other team. Plus there’s a food court, so you can indulge in all your hot dog and pizza slice fantasies without feeling guilty, because it’s a special event. If you can’t remember where Key Arena is, just follow the Space Needle: the arena is just beneath it in Seattle Center. And if you’re one of the first 42 people in the building, you get to sit courtside and collect those sweet flecks of sweat that the players fling off their bodies mid-game.

Seattle U has a shuttle that will take you there

But how, you may be wondering, will you get to the game? Since you’re a student, you probably don’t have a car, and maybe you don’t like taking the bus because there’s that one guy who sits next to you all the time and eats chicken tenders really loudly near your ear. Well, as it turns out, Seattle U has you covered. Just show up at the seal an hour and a half before the game and take one of the buses that the school provides to and from the game. If you happen to miss the bus, just talk one of your friends into driving you (or better yet, coming to the game with you!). The first 25 Seattle U cars get to park for free at the arena. Who needs public transit?

Plus, you get Pizza

Not only can you nab a free bus ride to the game, but those who are punctual and arrive in time to catch the first bus get free pizza. That’s right. Free pizza. You can travel in style on your free bus and eat delicious, cheese-smothered dough en route to an event where you can eat ketchup-soaked hot dogs while other people exercise for your enjoyment and school pride.
Not bad.

Students can get free tickets

Maybe free pizza and bus rides aren’t enough free stuff for you, though. Tickets to a men’s basketball game can range between $20 and $30, after all–which comes out to approximately 12 cheeseburgers at Lost Lake’s happy hour. If you’re the kind of person who shows up at club events just to stuff some free food into your obligatory Seattleite Mason jar collection, that’s a lot of cheeseburgers. Don’t worry about it, you can get two free tickets from the Campus Assistance Center the week of the game just by showing them your student ID card. Seriously, how much free stuff does it take to get you to a basketball game?

Rewards

Did we mention the prizes? There are prizes. All registered students at the school are eligible for the Redhawk rewards program. Just swipe your card at the entrance of Key Arena to start racking up points—one for every game. The more points you get, the more prizes you can nab! Five will get you a fancy stadium cup, and 50 will get you a suave Redhawk sweatshirt!

Sheldon may be reached at [email protected]