Indiana Sports Corp. names organizing committee for 2026 Final Four
The local organizing committee will be co-chaired by the city’s deputy mayor of neighborhood engagement and a publisher who previously served as the state’s secretary of commerce.
Final Four
-
Indianapolis to host men’s Final Four in 2029
The selection marks the tenth time Indianapolis has won a bid to host the college basketball championship event, one that has become an integral part of the city’s sports DNA.
Read More -
IBJ Podcast: Will a joint men’s and women’s Final Four solve the NCAA’s equity problem?
Host Mason King talks with IBJ sports business reporter Mickey Shuey and with Michelle Perry, a former NCAA executive and now a sports consultant, about what a combined Final Four event could mean for the city of Indianapolis, women’s basketball and the sport’s fans.
Read More -
NCAA to look into holding both Final Fours in same city
Combining the tournaments was one of the recommendations stemming from an external review of gender equity issues of the tournaments.
Read More -
NCAA fan’s death prompts contact-tracing investigation in Indiana
Health officials said Saturday they are investigating whether anyone was exposed to COVID-19 by Alabama residents following Friday night’s death of a fan who had been in Indianapolis for March Madness.
Read More
Articles
Indianapolis gets nod for 2028 women’s Final Four
The event will be returning to Indianapolis that year after an extensive hiatus. The city last hosted the women’s March Madness finale in 2016.
NCAA women’s Final Four to remain on same weekend as men’s
An eight-month review of the women’s basketball championship included looking into moving the semifinal and championship games to an alternate weekend from the men’s Final Four.
Jernstedt ‘celebration’ includes unveiling of downtown Indy statue
Tom Jernstedt, long dubbed the “Father of the Final Four,” died in September at age 75. His widow, Kris, has scheduled a “celebration of life” at 2 p.m. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday.
No plan for having men’s and women’s Final Four in same city
Having a combined Final Four was one of the recommendations from a report issued last August stemming from inequities between the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
Should men’s and women’s Final Fours be held in the same city, same weekend?
The NCAA’s efforts to address equity imbalances could lead to a joint championship site later this decade, with Indianapolis believed to be a likely contender for hosting such a spectacle.
Jim Dora: Tournament success brings hope for robust recovery
We hoteliers welcome the business that the NCAA has brought but worry about what the future holds. To use a metaphor many people are experiencing these days, the tournament was a shot in the arm, but does not inoculate us against continued losses.
Sherry Seiwert: Downtown’s psyche is renewed
With the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, we were able to show that Downtown Indianapolis is just as vibrant as ever. Now, don’t retreat back inside as basketball fans leave our fair city.
Dr. Virginia Caine: Don’t let up on public health precautions
I can confidently say that bringing the buzz of college basketball back to our city was only possible through the everyone’s efforts to mask up, socially distance, and operate within the constructs of necessary public health orders. We must not let up now.
Pushing for change: College athletes’ voices grow strong
From seemingly small issues of inequality in NCAA Tournament weight rooms to life-and-death issues of police brutality and endemic racism, athletes are increasingly calling for change, intent on molding what the future should look like for everyone.
Gonzaga’s last hurdles: a quick turnaround—and Baylor
The meeting Monday is one most hoops fans have waited for all year — two years, really — a matchup between two teams who have been on a collision course since the bracket came out.
It’s on: Gonzaga vs. Baylor for the national championship
The showdown between Baylor and Gonzaga that was called off in December because of the coronavirus pandemic is finally back on, with the biggest stakes of all: The two best teams all season will play for the national championship Monday night.
Baylor trio of Butler, Teague, Mitchell headed to title game
The only reason Baylor’s backcourt can’t be considered a true brotherhood is the blood coursing through their veins.
Plump still big hit at NCAA Tourney time
At age 84, the affable, silver-haired Bobby Plump remains one of the state’s top basketball ambassadors and nothing, not a pandemic or an unprecedented NCAA Tournament, can keep those yearning to meet him away.
John Feinstein: Indianapolis has long history with Final Four, but this chapter is one to forget
This is the 41st time I have attended the Final Four. I have never seen anything like this version. And I hope never to see anything like it again.
Diaper dandy: After stay in NICU, infant will make debut among Final Four cutouts
After a surprise delivery five weeks early in December, feisty 3-month-old Molly Skolnick of Carmel will be represented at the Final Four by a seat-filling cutout as part of an April Fools ruse concocted by her parents.
Final Four ticket prices setting records due to limited capacity
Fortune magazine reported that ticket prices are 145% higher than any other Final Four in history. Brokers say the prices would be even higher if a Midwestern team was in the final rounds.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson gets emotional talking about his father
John W. “Ned” Sampson, the longtime coach of Pembroke High School in North Carolina, once went toe-to-toe with members of the Ku Klux Klan.
NCAA has not tested for drugs at championships, sources say
Although athletes may have been tested on campus, the NCAA has not ramped up its usual testing program at national championships such as March Madness, sources tell AP.
March Madness teams get concierge help to survive bubble life
The NCAA and local organizing groups set up expanded ambassador and item-delivery services relying on volunteer help to take care of needs for players, officials and others working inside.