2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Midwest Regional
WHAT:
For just the fourth time, Indianapolis will host an NCAA Men’s Basketball Regional. The event features two “Sweet 16” games on Friday, with the two winners meeting Sunday in the “Elite Eight.” The winner of that game advances to the NCAA Men’s Final Four in Atlanta.
WHEN:
Friday, March 29
#1 Louisville vs. #12 Oregon at 7:15 p.m.; #2 Duke vs. #3 Michigan State tip approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. The two winners will play Sunday (that game time will be determined following Friday’s games).
Thursday, March 28
Each team will have an open practice that is free for the public to attend.
Oregon (Noon-12:50 p.m.); Michigan State (1-1:50 p.m.); Louisville (2:10-3 p.m.); Duke (3:10-4 p.m.)
WHERE:
Lucas Oil Stadium; Indianapolis, Ind.
TICKETS:
Tickets are still available for the event via www.NCAA.com/mbbtickets. All-session tickets are $90, while single-session tickets are either $50 or $55. More than 32,000 tickets have already been sold, including more than 2,000 over the weekend as the four teams were winning their respective games to advance to Indianapolis. The seating capacity at Lucas Oil Stadium for this event is approximately 36,000, with the court positioned near the south end zone (if using the Colts field as a reference). Temporary seats will be used on one side of the court.
NOTES:
· Indianapolis also hosted Regionals in 1940 (then Butler Fieldhouse, now Hinkle Fieldhouse), 1979 (Market Square Arena) and 2009 (Lucas Oil Stadium).
· Louisville (Midwest #1 seed) and Michigan State (Midwest #3 seed) also played in the 2009 Midwest Regional at Lucas Oil Stadium. Michigan State defeated Louisville, 64-52, to advance to the 2009 Men’s Final Four. In 2009, 33,780 attended the Friday session, while 36,084 were at Lucas Oil Stadium for the Sunday game. The seating configuration in 2009 was different than 2013 (the 2009 set-up included the court at mid-field, similar to the 2010 Men’s Final Four set-up).
· Indianapolis has hosted six Men’s Final Fours (1980, 1991, 1997, 2000, 2006, and 2010). Of the six national champions crowned in Indianapolis, four are included in the Midwest Region field (Louisville, Michigan State, and Duke – twice). Arizona won in 1997 and Florida won in 2006. Indianapolis and Lucas Oil Stadium is also the host for the 2015 Men’s Final Four. The 2016 NCAA Women’s Final Four will also be played in Indianapolis (as were the 2005 and 2011 Women’s Final Fours).
· In addition to Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournaments in Indianapolis, Michigan State has also played in the 1979 and 2009 Regionals (winning two games to advance to the Final Four each time), as well as the 2000 and 2010 NCAA Men’s Final Fours. The Spartans won the 2000 national championship at the RCA Dome.
· Louisville won the 1980 national championship at Market Square Arena.
· Duke (Midwest #2 seed) won the 1991 Men’s Final Four at the RCA Dome and the 2010 Men’s Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium.
· The Horizon League and IUPUI serve as NCAA co-hosts for the event. Indiana Sports Corp manages the Indiana Host Committee for the event.
· Pacers head coach Frank Vogel has worked for current Louisville head coach Rick Pitino on several occasions (including with the University of Kentucky and the Boston Celtics).
· Each of the four teams has “Indiana ties”: Duke’s roster includes Mason and Marshall Plumlee of Warsaw, Ind. (their brother Miles is on the Pacers roster); Louisville’s roster includes Stephan Van Treese (Indianapolis); Michigan State’s roster includes Russell Byrd (Fort Wayne), Branden Dawson (Gary) and Gary Harris (Fishers); Oregon assistant coach Kevin McKenna formerly was the head coach at Indiana State.
HOTEL INFORMATION:
Fans interested in hotel information for this weekend can find that at http://visitindy.com/ncaamenbball13