ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) – Tickets for preliminary rounds of the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship go on sale at 10:00 a.m. EST on Saturday, November 5. Fans wishing to buy tickets to the first- and second-round games at Orlando's Amway Center should go to www.NCAA.com/mbbtickets. The tournament games will be hosted locally by the University of Central Florida (UCF), Stetson University and the Central Florida Sports Commission, in partnership with the City of Orlando and Orange County.
Dates of the games held at the Amway Center will be March 16 & 18, 2017, with four games on Thursday, March 16 and two games on Saturday, March 18. Tickets are $270 for the Terrace Level and $198 or $150 for the Promenade level and provide admission to all six games. Teams playing in Orlando and specific game times will be determined by the NCAA on Selection Sunday, March 12, 2017.
"We're excited to be hosting the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship at Amway Center again and bringing some of the most exciting action in college sports to our residents and visitors," said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. "March Madness may seem like months away, but purchasing your tickets now will ensure you score some of the best seats and see your favorite teams battle it out for big wins."
"In 2014, the lower level sold out on the first day of public sale," noted Jason Siegel, interim President/CEO of the Central Florida Sports Commission. "If you want to sit close to the action, you'll need to buy your tickets on day one."
The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship will attract thousands of fans from across the United States to our community, generating millions in economic impact for the region. The 2014 tournament games hosted at the Amway Center yielded more than 14,000 room nights and nearly $13 million in economic impact for the region. In addition, the national and international exposure generated and live telecast was immeasurable for the City of Orlando and Orange County.
Prior to 2014, Orlando previously played host to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship in 1993, 1996, 1999 and 2004 at the Amway Arena.
The 2017 championship begins Tuesday and Wednesday nights, March 14-15, with the First Four — four preliminary-round games taking place in Dayton, Ohio. First- and second-round action takes place Thursday and Saturday, March 16 and 18, in Buffalo, New York; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Orlando, Florida; and Salt Lake City, Utah. Also hosting first- and second-round games Friday and Sunday, March 17 and 19, will be Greenville, South Carolina; Indianapolis, Indiana; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Sacramento, California.
Kansas City, Missouri, will serve as the Midwest Regional site and San Jose, California, will host the West Regional on Thursday and Saturday, March 23 and 25. Memphis, Tennessee, will be the site for the South Regional and New York City will host the East Regional on Friday and Sunday, March 24 and 26.
"This is a great opportunity for college basketball fans to see March Madness in some of our traditional cities with a long history of hosting the tournament, as well as a couple of new cities that have never hosted before," said Dan Gavitt, the NCAA's vice president of men's basketball championships. "From major markets to smaller cities, there's a great chance that America's best sporting event is going to be played reasonably close to any fan in the country, so it's a terrific opportunity to come watch history unfold."
The 2017 Division I Men's Basketball Championship will culminate with the Final Four in Phoenix, AZ on April 1 and 3 at University of Phoenix Stadium. Tickets and hospitality packages to the Final Four are available at www.NCAA.com/VIP.
