Brandon Kline/Eyewitness News
Indianapolis - There will be a big crowd on campus Wednesday as Butler students and fans gather to wish the Bulldogs luck. The team will board the bus at 2:30 p.m. and then head to the airport for Houston where they'll take on VCU this weekend.
After a busy week of practice and interviews, the team can't wait to get to Houston and neither can Butler students. The problem for many; though, is getting there. The team booked three charter buses for students, but that isn't enough for the hundreds of students who have tickets to the game.
Students can book their own charter bus at approximately $165 per person. That reservation would need to be made by tonight. Flights start at about $500 for those leaving on Thursday but then climb to more than $1,000 entering the weekend. To offset the costs, many students are driving themselves.
"Driving, it's 18 hours. We're trying to get on buses, but there's such limited space," said Butler student, Liz Tat. "Me and five other girls are going to leave Thursday night and drive 18 hours straight."
Some parents are concerned about their kids making the long drive, but students counter that it's their only option.
"My mom was scared, I told her I was going to the Final Four," said Butler student, Carl Miller. "She's like, 'are you driving?' I say yeah, but I'm going with a bunch of guys. We'll just split up the drive time."
Some students have considered traveling on a Greyhound bus for about $100 per person, but students say they'll still have to worry about a hotel and transportation once they get there. As these students work out the details, their priority Wednesday is seeing off the team at 2.30.
