Just got off the phone with Andy Bilello, director of business development for Inside Lacrosse, which is staging this Saturday's Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium. Bilello said as of last Saturday, "well over 10,000 tickets" had been sold.

While that number may not exceed ticket sales at this point in the previous two years, Bilello said he is encouraged by the sales considering the economic climate.

"Given that people are being a lot more careful with things that they commit to, we feel good," he said. "For a lacrosse game in February, we think that speaks well. People that pay attention to this sport view this as a tradition, something that starts the year for them. We expect ticket sales to accelerate this week. Hopefully, if the weather cooperates, maybe more people will make the choice late to come out on gameday."

The first game pits No. 4 Johns Hopkins (1-0) against No. 19 Princeton (1-0) at noon, and No. 8 Maryland (2-1) and No. 14 Duke (2-1) will square off at approximately 2:30 p.m. While Johns Hopkins and Princeton are in the first year of a two-year commitment to the Face-Off Classic, Maryland and Duke have yet to make plans for 2010.

"We probably will pick those conversations up in earnest with them in May or June as the lacrosse season winds down and talk to them about what their interest is and what we can do in 2010," Bilello said.