North Carolina, Oklahoma, Villanova and Syracuse vie for the men’s college basketball national championship in Houston at the NCAA Final Four, with the semifinals and finals taking place at NRG Stadium on Saturday April 2 and Monday, April 4, 2016.
For one weekend, the eyes of the sporting world will be fixed on Houston as Space City hosts the pinnacle of college basketball – and the culmination of March Madness – with the NCAA Men’s Final Four.
The action begins on Saturday, April 2 with back-to-back semifinal games at NRG Stadium. Oklahoma, the No. 2 seed from the West region led by star senior shooting guard Buddy Hield, will face a balanced No. 2-seeded Villanova squad that toppled Kansas, the tournament’s top overall seed, to advance from the South regional. The next game pits North Carolina, the only No. 1 seed to make the Final Four this year, against upstart Syracuse, the only No. 10 seed to make the Final Four in tournament history. The winning teams will meet in the Championship Game on Monday evening at NRG.
Final Four Teams
Each of the Final Four teams are steeped in tradition. All four are among the 30 winningest programs in college basketball history (UNC third, Syracuse fifth, Villanova 26th, Oklahoma 28th). North Carolina has been to the Final Four a staggering 18 times and won five NCAA Tournament Championships (1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009), which ranks third all-time. Syracuse has been to five Final Fours with one championship (2003). Villanova has been to four Final Fours – including in 1971 at the Houston Astrodome, where they lost to John Wooden’s UCLA squad 68-62 in the title game – and won one championship (1985). Oklahoma has been to the Final Four four times (1939, 1947, 1988, 2002) but never won a title.
Final Four in Houston
Tens of thousands of fans from those basketball-crazy schools have descended on Houston for the games, creating a palpable excitement level throughout the city. This will be just the third time that Houston has ever hosted the Final Four, and the second time since 2011. Don’t miss your chance to see college basketball at its finest with the culmination of the greatest tournament in sports.
NCAA Men’s Final Four
Dates: Saturday, April 2 (Final Four) and Monday, April 4, 2016 (Championship Game)- Times: 5:09 p.m. (Villanova vs. Oklahoma, Semifinal 1), 7:49 p.m. (North Carolina vs. Syracuse, Semifinal 2); TBD (Championship)
- Location: NRG Stadium, Reliant Pkwy, Houston, TX 77054
- Admission: Tickets can be purchased for the National Semifinals, National Championship or all Sessions; prices vary. You may find cheaper, better or hard-to-get seats on TicketNetwork’s resale site.
