Bucknell students began lining up at 10:30 Sunday night for a shot at tickets to Friday's Patriot League final between their Bison and the Crusaders of Holy Cross.

Reports from Lewisburg did not indicate any tents were set up, but many brought sleeping bags to await the 6 a.m. special student presale of tickets.

That session lasted from 6 to 8 a.m., with about 400 students buying tickets during that period. Another 800 already were assured tickets through the random drawing for 800 tournament tickets that the University had bought to distribute prior to the first round last week.

The remainder of Bucknell's approximately 3,500 tickets for the final sold in about two hours after going on sale to the general public at 11 a.m.

Holy Cross' allotment of 500 tickets is not sold out yet, according to a woman who answered the ticket sales phone number listed on the HC Web site. A recording on that phone line warns that tickets for the final are being sold only to Holy Cross students, alums and season ticket holders. And they will check to verify that status, it warns.

"Response has been pretty overwhelming," said the woman. "We don't anticipate any left over given the response we have had so far."

Any unsold tickets from the HC allotment will be returned to Bucknell and would go on sale at the door Friday.

LOCKED OUT -- An off day today for Bucknell, with the team being told to stay away from the gym. Bison coach Pat Flannery reportedly forbid his team from even coming in on their own, individually to shoot around.

"Pat all but locked them out," said Bucknell SID Jon Terry. "I think he was even thinking about getting a chair and sitting in the lobby to make sure nobody sneaked in because that is almost what it takes to keep guys like Abe Badmus and Charles Lee out of the gym."

The Bison will resume practice Tuesday.

TRAVEL PLANS -- With Holy Cross on spring break, the Crusaders are planning an early trip to Lewisburg. Plans call for the team's bus to leave Worcester Wednesday afternoon, with a Thursday practice in Sojka Pavilion.

POLL BULL -- Bucknell checks in with 83 votes in this week's AP Poll, second among others receiving votes. The Bison are first in the others category in the latest Coaches Poll.

Alabama Birmingham jumped into both polls this week after upsetting then No. 3 Memphis. No real argument with that, given UAB's 22-5 resume that also includes wins over Old Dominion and Oklahoma St.

Besides, given the apparent curse of being ranked as a Mid Major the last month or so, does any team really want that at this point of the season?

No updated Mid Major Top 25 as of 7:30 p.m.

THE ENVELOPE PLEASE -- Bucknell coach Pat Flannery has been named a finalist for the 2006 Hugh Durham Award, which is presented to the mid major coach of the year. Flannery, who won the mid-season version of the award, is one of 15 in the running for the honor, which will be announced during teh Final Four.

NIT OR A NUT? -- According to an Andre Williams column in the Morning Call, Billy Taylor is campaigning for an NIT bid for Lehigh after they lost to Holy Cross in the Patriot League semis.

Taylor is touting Bucknell's postseason success last year, along with Holy Cross' NIT showing a year ago, to justify a bid for his team.

But it takes more than a good record in a bad conference to justify a postseason bid, and lopsided losses to Villanova and Washington are not impressive credentials when you didn't make a better showing than the Mountain Hawks did in the remainder of the non conference schedule.