When tragedy struck Purdue Monday night, speculations turned naturally to the seating facilities in the Indoor Athletic Building. "Our stands are 10 years old," said Bill Bingham yesterday. "That's the age of the building, and we've never had any hint of trouble."

At Purdue, the newly erected grandstands went down with 4,500 hands aboard when a swollen basketball crowd rose suddenly to cheer the home team's unexpected first half lead over favored Wisconsin.

Fire Laws Strict Here

This sombre note led Bingham to talk about seating problems generally. "We have accomodations for 2,400 spectators in the gymnasium," he said, "but ever since the Cocoanut Grove fire we've been limited to admitting only 1,600 because of the size and number of the exits. This year, only half the stands have been set up for each game."

To bypass this serious restriction to basketball audiences, a problem which at Yale this winter has limited students to witnessing three games only, and these not of their own choosing, the H.A.A. began to schedule home games in the Boston Garden.

Garden Games Decrease

So acceptable has this policy proved that it has been expanded next year to the point where all Ivy League contests will be played downtown, as well as games with Boston University and Bradlee Tech. Only Cornell and Army will invade the home court.

Bingham is especially pleased that the University can choose its own opponents in Garden contests, a freedom not enjoyed in New York and elsewhere. The Garden picks the date, however, usually allotting Tuesday nights to college basketball.

Sometimes, as in the case of the Cornell game last weekend, a match in the local block-house is necessary when the opposing team makes its only swing east at a time when the Garden is not available.

Boston College officials are anxious to schedule attractive college bills, hoping to attract the lukewarm basketball fan.