GLENDALE, Ariz. — March Madness is set to come to an exciting conclusion right here in the Valley of the Sun as the Final Four is headed our way for the first time since 2017!
The matchups became official on Saturday and Sunday, but the Final Four is about a lot more than just the basketball that will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
With a whole week of events headed our way, here's everything you need to know about the Final Four.
Who is playing in the Final Four?
No. 1 seed and defending national champion UConn, No. 1 seed Purdue, No. 4 seed Alabama and No. 11 seed N.C. State have all punched their tickets to the desert for the Final Four by winning their regionals in the 68-team NCAA Tournament.
UConn defeated No. 3 seed Illinois to win the East Regional and Alabama defeated No. 6 seed Clemson to win the West Regional on Saturday. Purdue beat No. 2 seed Tennessee to win the Midwest Regional and N.C. State upset No. 4 seed Duke to win the South Regional on Sunday.
When will the Final Four games be played?
Purdue will play NC State in the first game of the Final Four on Saturday, April 6 at 3:09 p.m. Arizona time. UConn will play Alabama in the second game of the doubleheader. The start time for that game is scheduled to be 5:49 p.m. Arizona time but could be pushed back based on when the first game ends.
Where are Final Four games being played?
Games will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, west of Phoenix.
When is the national championship game?
The winners of the two Final Four games will meet in the national championship game on Monday, April 8 at 6:20 p.m.
How to watch the Final Four
The Final Four games will be broadcast on TBS, TNT and truTV, according to NCAA.com. The games will also be streamed on the NCAA March Madness Live app and on Max's B/R Sports Add-On subscription.
Ian Eagle, Bill Raferty and former Phoenix Sun Grant Hill will call the games. Tracy Wolfson will be the sideline reporter and Gene Steratore will be the rules analyst for the broadcasts.
Pregame coverage on Saturday will begin on TBS, TNT and truTV at noon Arizona time.
Final Four tickets
Tickets to the Final Four are still on sale and can be purchased on the NCAA's official ticketing website by clicking here. As of Sunday night, tickets range from $616.25 to $5,312.50 for the Final Four and $340 to $3,400 for the national championship.
When it comes to resale sites, as of Sunday night, Final Four tickets range from $345 to $13,193 on Stubhub, $456 to $14,260 on SeatGeek, $335 to $9,424 on VividSeats and $350 to $6,250 on Ticketmaster. National championship tickets range from $172 to $37,080 on StubHub, $219 to $13,371 on SeatGeek, $187 to $9,424 on VividSeats and $185 to $8,587 on Ticketmaster.
Keep in mind that ticket prices will likely rise as the games get closer and national championship ticket prices will change when the matchup is decided on Saturday.
Final Four Events Schedule
Now that the basketball information is covered, here's a look at everything else happening in the Valley this week with the Final Four in town.
The Men's Final Four Fan Fest will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center from April 5-8. It will be open from noon to 8 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and noon to 6 p.m. on Monday. Fans will be treated to appearances from college basketball star players, like former Duke Blue Devil Christian Laettner, and coaches, like former Kansas and North Carolina coach Roy Williams. There will also be appearances from mascots from Arizona's sports teams, a daily slam dunk contest, a Final Four watch party, interactive games and more.
Tickets will cost $10 at the door. Kids 12 and under get in free.
Capital One cardholders, Final Four ticketholders, and anyone who shows a ticket stub from the D-backs, Suns, Mercury, Coyotes, Phoenix Rising or that they have tickets to the WNBA All-Star game can also get in free.
Military personnel with a valid ID will be able to get themselves and up to three guests in for free on Saturday.
The NCAA March Madness Music Festival will be held at Hance Park in downtown Phoenix from April 5-7 and is completely free.
The festival will begin with the AT&T Block Party from 4:30 to 10 p.m. on Friday, featuring Grammy Award-winning DJ Zedd, Mean Girls and pop star Reneé Rapp and pop artist Remi Wolf.
The Coke Studio Live show will be held from 3-9 p.m. on Saturday and will feature the Jonas Brothers.
The Capital One JamFest will be held from 2:30-10 p.m. on Sunday and will feature performances from Mumford & Sons, the Black Keys, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and Leon Bridges.
On April 5, fans will be able to go out to State Farm Stadium to see the Final Four teams practice and see some of the top senior basketball players from around the country play in the NABC All-Star Game. There will also be interactive activities and entertainment at the stadium.
Doors open at 10 a.m. NC State will practice at 11 a.m., Purdue will practice at noon, Alabama will practice at 1 p.m. and UConn will practice at 2 p.m.
The NABC All-Star Game will be played at 3:30 p.m.
Admission to Final Four Friday and parking in the Red Preferred and Orange West lots at State Farm Stadium are free.
On Sunday at 10:30 a.m., kids 18 and under will gather at Heritage Square in downtown Phoenix to take part in the Final Four Dribble.
The kids will dribble a special Final Four-themed basketball down a one-mile route from Heritage Square to the Fan Fest at the Phoenix Convention Center. There will be music and activities along the route. Participants will be able to keep the basketball and will receive a t-shirt. Every child that takes part and a parent or guardian will also get complimentary access to the Fan Fest.
In 2017, this event had more than 3,000 kids participate.
Currently, the Dribble is full, but you can add your child to the waiting list for free by clicking here.
Ahead of Final Four Friday, the Final Four games and the national championship game, the Final Four Tip-Off Tailgate will be open on the Great Lawn at State Farm Stadium.
There will be interactive booths from Nissan, Coke Zero Sugar, POWERADE, The Home Depot, Invesco QQQ, LG, CBS Sports, MTV and the U.S. Army along with a store selling team gear and special Final Four souvenirs.
The Tip-Off Tailgate is free for all fans.
It will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Monday. It will be closed on Sunday.
You can find out much more information on the Final Four and all of the events by clicking here.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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