The price of tickets at the Final Four is always a source of intrigue and consternation amongst the roundball fans across America.
And this year, those prices may be better than ever for the consumer willing to head to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. But the market hasn’t quite corrected just yet.
With the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats being upset by the No. 6 Clemson Tigers, and No. 1 North Carolina getting picked off by No. 4 Alabama, 2024 could be one of the cheapest years to see a Final Four since... well, last year.
In 2023 as the UConn Huskies cut down the nets, they were also the only “brand” name school with a sizable hoops fan base that made the National Semifinals in Houston. That’s why there were tickets for as low as $40 available if you didn’t mind not seeing much without binoculars at NRG Stadium.
The Miami Hurricanes, Florida Atlantic Owls and San Diego State Aztecs might have vociferous fan bases at home games, but they don’t the kind of generations-deep level of devotion that gets ticket brokers salivating. And it might be close to that level of devotion again this year.
Of the 12 teams remaining in March Madness, No. 1 UConn is the one those with tickets will want to see win one more game. But the biggest traveling teams such as Kansas and Kentucky didn’t even make a regional, and that means prices could keep crashing by the day.
The scalpers with inventory will probably want the No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers and the No. 11 NC State Wolfpack as well. But otherwise there’s just not a lot of schools left where fans drop everything and move heaven and earth to get to the Final Four.
And while Duke is one of the biggest brands in the sport, it’s still a small, private school in North Carolina. Despite being a part of the record-setting ticket prices for Mike Krzyzewski’s last game in 2022 in New Orleans, generally the Blue Devils don’t overwhelm at the hotel front desks or box offices.
Right now at TickPick, an all-sessions pass for the 2024 Final Four starts at $559 with all taxes and fees included. But that will very likely continue to go down as teams get eliminated this weekend, as expect something closer to what we saw last year in Houston by the time we get to tip-off.