Odds are, you won’t find the Maine Black Bears on a list of college basketball powerhouses. But even if cheap Maine basketball tickets are plentiful for most games, it doesn’t mean this is a program that should be written off. The Black Bears have been playing basketball for a long time and have a proud tradition that most people don’t know about. After all, it’s the only Division I program in the Pine Tree State, which makes the Black Bears the only game in town. That’s why last-minute Maine basketball tickets get a lot more traction than most folks realize.

Long Journey

While Maine basketball has had trouble finding its way onto the national stage, the Black Bears have had some good years. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, longtime coach Skip Chappelle gave the program a sense of stability. He also helped lay the foundation for coaches like Rudy Keeling and John Giannini to have some semblance of success at Maine. The Black Bears have also enjoyed consistency as members of the America East Conference, which has allowed Maine to develop meaningful rivalries with several other New England schools, helping to make every conference game the Black Bears play an important one.

Historic Rivalry

Of course, Maine’s biggest rival on the basketball court is neighboring New Hampshire. On the hardwood, the Black Bears have a rivalry with the New Hampshire Wildcats that dates back well over 100 years. The two teams have never failed to play at least once per season during that time, making it the longest-running rivalry in college basketball outside of the Ivy League.