Krushed: Illinois Student Hoops Road Trip Nixed After Tix Nullified

CHAMPAIGN, IL — A group of dedicated University of Illinois basketball fans who raised money for local charities in order to see their beloved Illini play in enemy territory had to change their travel plans suddenly after a rival Big Ten school nullified their tickets for an upcoming game.

For the past 19 years, The Orange Krush — the school’s student section known for its exuberant spirit — has traveled to one Illinois away game per year. This year, a group of 200 students raised more than $2,600 for local charities to attend Saturday’s road game at Iowa against the Hawkeyes. But on Wednesday, the students were alerted to the fact that the University of Iowa athletic administration made the decision to cancel the tickets after the school said that the tickets were obtained through questionable methods.

Iowa officials said that they issued tickets for Sunday’s game to the Illinois chapter of the Boys and Girls Club. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Iowa’s athletic department said that when they contacted the charitable organization in Illinois, “it became clear that was not factual.”

Iowa officials said when they contacted the person who ordered the block of tickets, they admitted that they falsely ordered the tickets under the guise of the tickets being for charity.

In a lengthy statement issued on Twitter on Wednesday, the Orange Krush said they were disappointed that the University of Iowa had nullified tickets that had been legally purchased. The group claimed that it was Iowa’s mistake for selling tickets to a Champaign billing address.

In addition, the Orange Krush said that because Iowa officials waited so long to make its decision, the student group would be out more than $6,000 the group had paid for charter buses to make the trip to Iowa City.

The $6,000 represents a fifth of the 501 ( c ) 3 organization’s $30,000 budget, which the group said precludes them from making another trip this season to continue its annual tradition of visiting another Big Ten school for a game. Iowa officials said that a portion of the tickets originally sold to the University of Illinois students would instead be given to a local Iowa chapter of the Boys and Girls Club.

But in true Orange Krush spirit, the Illinois students didn’t go quietly, writing in the social media statement: “We take it as a great compliment that the Orange Krush is a strong enough student section to be so feared that an opposing athletic department is willing to sacrifice $5,400 and ruin a sellout (crowd) in order to turn us away.

"Gary Barta (Iowa’s athletic director) and staff, we issue great thanks to all of you for the adoration you have shown the Orange Krush through your cowardice.”