I just want to detail my experience trying to obtain tickets to the BYU basketball game on Saturday night. First of all I bought them through Stubhub on Friday night. Stubhub accepted my money, and then I got an automated email telling me I'd be hearing from the ticket owner with instructions on how to receive the tickets.

I got that email on Saturday morning at 7 a.m.

But joke's on me: the Delta Center (where the game was played) put a deadline on ticket transfers. All transfers had to take place before 11:59 p.m. on Friday. So I bought the tickets, the ticket holder tried to transfer them to me, but the venue wouldn't allow it. I started stressing.

So what's my recourse? What would you have done in that situation?

First I called BYU tickets. Their office was closed. A recorded message said they have extended hours on event days, but I guess a men's basketball game doesn't qualify as an event day. I did send a message to the text support line, and a few hours later I got a text back: "Tickets needed to be transferred before midnight on Friday." Thanks, text support line!

Second I tried to get help through Paciolan, the software BYU uses to manage ticket accounts and transfers. I clicked on the "I can't access my tickets" link, and I was taken to a pop up that said something to the effect of "Bummer! Reach out to the person who sold you the tickets, or the venue!" I had no way of contacting the guy who sold me his tickets through StubHub, so I tried (without much hope) the Delta Center.

I found their support phone number, so then I went through the automated phone rigmarole only to be told the ticket office is closed, and then my call was disconnected.

Finally, in a desperate attempt to secure the tickets I purchased the day before, I turned to Cougarboard. And thankfully CB informed me that BYU would have staff onsite to help resolve issues. Which, to their credit, they did. Easily. My wife and I got into the game pretty easily. Cougarboard, to use a really outdated reference, you are the real MVPs.

Epilogue: When my wife and I got to our seats, someone was sitting in them. I told him to vamoose, but he said they were his seats. And then he produced an identical ticket to mine. He showed me his phone, I showed him mine. After a curt "I don't know what to tell you buddy" from my fellow BYU fan, I accepted that possession is nine-tenths of the law and slinked away to find some unoccupied seats where nobody would bother us (i.e. the furthest reaches of the upper bowl).

Once we finally got settled, though, we had a great time.