Going to men’s March Madness games could be very cheap or very pricey — depending on where you’re taking in the action.
Heading into the start of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament on Thursday, single-session tickets for first-round games were $7 or less on ticket marketplace TicketSmarter, according to USA Today, at four venues:
- Greensboro, North Carolina
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Orlando, Florida
- Sacramento, California
Greensboro’s first session — featuring Xavier, Kennesaw State, Iowa State, and Pittsburgh — is the lowest of the bunch, checking in at just $6 ($7 with fees) to get in.
On the flip side, several venues are seeing huge spikes in prices.
Albany, New York’s first session on Friday night led the way at $152, while Birmingham, Alabama, and Denver, Colorado, each had two entries in the top five.
Birmingham’s elevated prices make sense given the presences of top-overall seed Alabama and 4-seed Auburn — but interestingly, the Tigers’ session ($133) was outpacing the Crimson Tide’s ($99).
For fans looking ahead to the Final Four in Houston, those tickets will cost a bit more.
Data provided to Front Office Sports from ticket marketplace Gametime has the median ticket price for the national semifinals at $619, while the median price for the national championship game is “only” $427.
To get in, ticket prices start at $255 for the semifinals, $193 for the finals, and $335 for both sessions.
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