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CHAMPAIGN — A campus bar is stepping in to help the Orange Krush recoup losses from their voided Iowa basketball trip.
The co-owners of Kams — the 90-year-old "home of the drinking Illini" — have agreed to present the student section $6,000 on Saturday to cover their non-refundable travel costs.
“When the (owners) saw the news last night, they said ‘We need to do something,’ ” Kams general manager Michael Baker said. “We’ll be bringing them in and having a watch party for them — if Iowa doesn’t want them, we do.”
The Orange Krush announced Wednesday night that their 200 tickets purchased under the guise of a local Boys and Girls Club had been refunded, three days before the Illini’s visit to Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
“I think if that was the decision Iowa wanted to make, it's their prerogative,” Baker said. "But I think it's sad when 200 Illini fans get in the middle of it.
“We’re excited to offer an alternative opportunity for the best fan base out there.”
More in Friday's print editions of The News-Gazette.
