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There were a lot of empty seats Monday night at Breslin when No. 1 Michigan State took on Portland.

(AP Photo)

EAST LANSING - The attendance for Michigan State's basketball game against Portland Monday night was listed as 14,797.

It wasn't anywhere close to that. And Tom Izzo took notice.

Granted, the Spartans -- who became the No. 1-ranked team in the nation on Monday -- were playing an unranked non-conference opponent. Granted, more than 12,000 people in the surrounding Ingham and Eaton Counties had lost power due to powerful storms that ripped through the Midwest on Sunday.

But Izzo's message to the fans -- regardless of the reason for the empty seats -- is simple: If you can't go to the game, give your tickets away.

"We didn't play so well, but we did give a lot of credit the other night that our fans won us the (Columbia) game," Izzo said. "If you get a ranking, whether it's deserved or not, you get into a position that few Spartan fans have ever seen.

"All I ask of those people is, I got no problem if you don't want to come to a game. I got no problem at all. Give your tickets. Because I got thousands of people that are dying to come. It'll affect a lot of people, including me."

Taking the financial hit is not necessarily ideal, but when a ticket goes unused, the seat and the sellers' pockets are empty.

"When I go to Spartan Stadium and that happened a couple years ago when we're playing for the Big Ten championship, I felt the same way then," Izzo said. "It would be different if we were talking about having to pay for tickets and this and that. Those are bought tickets, so give them away."

Outside of the role weather played in Monday night's attendance, some fans may be intimidated by or unaware of how to go about "giving them away." The Michigan State athletics ticket office does offer a way for fans -- whether students or season ticket holders -- to exchange their tickets up to three hours before tipoff. There is a $5 transaction fee that the ticket office charges unless you are a member of the Izzone transferring your ticket to a fellow MSU student, in which case the transaction is free.

Running down Grand River Avenue shouting, 'Free tickets, free tickets!' is, of course, free.

"It would be different if we were talking about having to pay for tickets and this and that," Izzo said. "Those are bought tickets, so give them away. Give them to someone. Give them to me; I'll get rid of them. Disappointment. Next question."

What's your reaction to this issue? Are you someone who would be willing to give your tickets away? Are you someone who would love to attend a game if you knew you could go for $5? What method do you use to buy and sell tickets to Michigan State events? Or is there something else about Michigan State's ticket policy and attendance issue that you would like to see change?

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