NCAA tournament deal with CBS, Turner extended through 2032
The Indianapolis-based NCAA on Tuesday announced an eight-year, $8.8 billion extension of its March Madness deal with CBS Sports and the Turner Broadcasting System.
Final Four
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NCAA to mull playing 3 women’s finals in same city again
The decision to play the Division I, II and III women’s basketball championships at one site drew praise from coaches and players. The NCAA will evaluate whether it was a one-time thing or something it should do again.
Losing in the NCAA men’s Final Four tourney can be costly
Licensees and retailers are preparing entire product lines, orders, shipping plans and marketing campaigns in advance. Four different sets of championship plans are being prepared—only one will ever see the light of day.
Indianapolis set to be center of women’s basketball world
For the first time in NCAA history the Division I, II and III women’s titles will be decided on the same court.
LOPRESTI: Bracket-makers created mess of trouble for IU, rest of Big Ten
Consider the road for the Indiana Hoosiers. Did we say “road?’’ That should be “gauntlet.’’ You could make the case that no champion from any of the big boy conferences got a tougher trail.
NCAA, Microsoft team up to help fans pick tournament games
After years of fighting against tournament pools because of its staunch anti-gambling position, the Indianapolis-based organization is going to work with Microsoft's search engine, Bing, to pick winners in the men's basketball tournament.
JW Marriott, Lucas Oil get massive exposure from Final Four
Lucas Oil Co. is the expected winner during this year's Final Four, and the JW Marriott is turning out to be just as good a billboard as it is a hotel.
NCAA semifinal in Indy draws best TV audience since 1996
The University of Wisconsin’s 71-64 victory Saturday night in Indianapolis averaged 22.6 million viewers across TBS, TNT and truTV, according to Turner Sports and CBS. That's up 39 percent from last season's matchup of the same teams.
Kentucky’s ‘Big Blue Nation’ set to invade Final Four
Wildcat fans likely will take over Indianapolis for the weekend, because that’s what they do.
Kentucky’s perfection driving Final Four ticket prices to record
The average resale price for an all-session strip of tickets to the April 4 semifinals and April 6 title game is $1,893, according to secondary market ticket aggregator TiqIQ.
Final Four payoff from 2004 NCAA pact continuing to escalate
A deal struck 10 years ago to bring the men’s Final Four to Indianapolis every five years has become a much-beefier cash cow for the city than any of the pact’s architects could have imagined.
LOPRESTI: Organized to the teeth for the Final Four, but for one detail
The Final Four is so close, you can almost hear the trombones in the pep bands. Look around downtown.
LOPRESTI: Memories of our Final Four shining moments
Players and coaches cherish tournament highlights in Indy, including Butler’s run in ‘10.
LOPRESTI: Meet the real hosts of college basketball’s Final Four
The NCAA lists the Horizon League and IUPUI as official hosts. Indiana Sports Corp. does most of the legwork, and the NCAA signs all the checks, so just what do you do if you’re the official Final Four host?
Perceptions, plans outlined for this year’s Final Four
NCAA Final Four host committee officials said Tuesday that Fan Fest would open April 3; youth clinics and a 5K walk to help support Coaches vs. Cancer will be held April 4; 3,200 children would dribble around town April 5; and the annual March Madness Music Festival will be held April 3-5.
NCAA to announce host cities for future Final Fours
The NCAA plans to announce between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Friday on CBS Sports Network its selection of cities to host the men’s basketball Final Four in 2017 through 2020.
Big money under close scrutiny at NCAA Final Four
Kentucky’s coaching staff will reap an extra $736,000 if the team wins the NCAA basketball tournament. Meanwhile, players are being asked by security to remove labels from water bottles at practice to avoid conflicts with a sponsorship agreement.
BENNER: Musings from the road to (and from) The Final Four
Rutgers coach Mike Rice scored almost as much attention as the champion quartet of teams.
BENNER: Of many shining moments, one could have shone brightest
Some years stand out as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the NCAA tournament.
NBA All-Star Game alluring, but no local bid in sight
The 1985 NBA All-Star Game remains the only all-star game the league has held in Indianapolis—a curious omission given the city’s propensity for landing big-time events.