Section GG, Row 16, Seat 120

Mike Roberts, Ryan Tapak and Mark Johnson said goodbye to Assembly Hall Saturday -- barring a dreaded NIT game in Bloomington. The soon-to-be-departed were showered with applause, given scarce moments of playing time and then allowed to address the Hoosier faithful who had cheered them on for four years (six in Roberts' case).\nBut alas, the three Hoosiers who have graced the IU bench for so long are not the only seniors bidding a fond farewell to Assembly Hall.\nAs a four-year season ticket holder, who has missed a grand total of one game (discounting the games played during winter break), that one game being sacrificed at the hands of a spectacular microeconomics test (some supply-and-demand nonsense), I made the walk to the Hall one last time. And in my final game, the IU Athletics Department rolled out the big red carpet. \nThe game ticket read: Balcony, section GG, row 16, seat 120. That's right, the absolute corner of Assembly Hall. Alongside my IU basketball compatriot, Jimmy Antalis, I sat there, back against the wall, glancing at the thousands of empty seats purchased by those students who attend the games because it's trendy, not because they care. In the final regular season game of the year, a game the Hoosiers needed to win to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes on extended life support, we sat alone atop the arena, counting the number of empty seats, closely challenging the number set by the Follywood premiere of "Ernest in the Army."\nDespite the empty seats, the Hoosiers stormed out and stomped on Northwestern, defeating the Wildcats for the 33rd consecutive meeting at Assembly Hall. The win elevated IU's conference record to the ever-important 10-6 mark, the supposed magical number for conference wins. Since 1997, there has been only one team in the Big Ten to win 10 games and fail to make the tournament, that being the 2003 Michigan Wolverines, who were ineligible for postseason play because of the imaginary and nonexistent Fab Five.\nNow, five teams in the Big Ten boast double-digit wins, but so-called "experts" believe Paris Hilton will join a convent before the NCAA Selection Committee chooses both Minnesota and IU to join the likes of Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin in the tournament.\nSo that puts Friday's quarterfinal match-up in the Big Ten Tournament between the Hoosiers and the Gophers as a potential play-in game for the Big Dance.\nAnd after Friday, when the Hoosiers defeat Minnesota and stamp their ticket for the NCAA Tournament, those who left thousands of Assembly Hall seats vacant just remember what it means to attend an IU basketball game. For four years, you get the privilege of visiting Assembly Hall at a reasonable student price, but once that final whistle blows during your final game of your final year, your name shoots to the bottom of the ticket priority list. The waitlist is long and the prices aren't so affordable, but there's a chance the seats may be better. \nBut for me, that's not what matters. Section GG, row 16, seat 120 is just fine with me.