Want to go to the Final Four? If you’ve waited until the last minute, best to buy your tickets sooner than later – prices are rising. According to data from TicketIQ.com, the average asking price for a Final Four ticket is now tied for the second most expensive of the decade. Between Monday and Tuesday, the price for a ticket rose from $1,036 to $1,108. That’s the same price as a 2015 ticket and behind only last year, when prices settled at $1,343.
Why the increase? Three of the four teams playing in the Final Four – Kansas, Michigan and Villanova could be considered college basketball royalty. The three teams have won a combined six National Championships and all travel well, helping to push up prices at the Alamodome in San Antonio March 31-April 2.
As prices rise on the secondary market, PrimeSport.com, has well-priced ticket packages available on the primary market, including many that include accommodations. Packages without accommodations – which include tickets to both the national semifinals and the final – are available beginning at $1,000, making it more cost effective to buy all three games rather than a ticket to just one on the secondary market.
If you’re a fan of any of these teams – or Loyola-Chicago, which is only the fourth No. 11 seed to get to the Final Four – tickets remain.
FINAL FOUR: Average Price: $1,108, Cheapest Ticket: $212
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: Average Price: $619, Cheapest Ticket: $176
The combined average asking price for the Final Four and National Championship on the secondary market, According to data from TicketIQ.com, was $864, as of Tuesday. But buying on the secondary market gets a fan only a single game. Buying with PrimeSport puts fans at both national semifinals and the title game – and more.
PrimeSport does host the official NCAA Final Four ticket exchange, and single-game tickets start as low as $295. But the better deal is a PrimeSport package, which includes game tickets, food, bar access and much more.
College basketball fans who want to enjoy a weekend in San Antonio around the basketball games can take advantage of PrimeSport’s all-inclusive ticket and accommodations packages, which start at $2,435. A resort hotel in Texas’ Hill Country or rooms at the Wyndham in town also include game-day transportation, a PrimeSport welcome event, access to the NCAA’s “VIP Experience” on Saturday and Monday, and an event program and souvenir.
Most PrimeSport packages include access to the NCAA’s VIP Experience, a hospitality area at the San Antonio Convention Center, which is close to the Alamodome. The VIP Experiences will be loaded with food, drinks, entertainment, interactive games, celebrities and former college basketball stars. Fans can buy access to the VIP Experience (no tickets included) through PrimeSport, starting at $575.
For fans who don’t need accommodations, PrimeSport has one ticket plus VIP Experience package still available, beginning at $1,000. The package, referred to “All-Session Ticket + VIP Hospitality” on the company’s website, allows fans to pick their own seats. As of Tuesday, there was limited availability throughout the Alamodome, with the highest-end seats located at center court in the sections closest to the floor, for $9,075. Fans choosing tickets in the 300 sections will be at the $1,000 price point.
No. 11 Loyola-Chicago vs. No. 3 Michigan
The first of the two national semifinals, this game pits a past tournament winner (and six-time Final Four participant) with 2018’s Cinderella. But don’t let that fool you. Though Loyola-Chicago is a mid-major likely best known for having a 98-year-old chaplain, Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt, don’t discount the Ramblers. Loyola currently owns the longest winning streak of any of the Final Four teams – 14 games – and knocked off No. 6 Miami, No. 3 Tennessee, No. 7 Nevada and No. 5 Kentucky on its way to San Antonio. Both teams run efficient offenses and defenses and, if they get going from behind the 3-point line, can feel unbeatable. Michigan’s biggest advantages are experience and strength of schedule. Playing in a power conference vs. being a mid-major will surely give the Wolverines a leg up.
No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 1 Kansas
Exactly the kind of game you’d expect to see in the Final Four, both Villanova and Kansas are ubiquitous when it comes to March Madness. The Wildcats have won it all more recently than the Jayhawks (2016 vs. 2008). Villanova’s fast-paced, high-scoring offense has been the talk of the tournament – the Wildcats average a nation-leading 87 points per game, but that won’t be enough to win. Both teams bring excellent perimeter shooting, which is where the game will likely be decided. Another spot to watch is under the basket. While Villanova is a decent rebounding team, that is a weak spot for Kansas, which is ranked in the bottom of third of the nation in defensive rebounding.