What about everyone’s brackets?
Whether you’ve spent the last few days gloating in your group chat about where you stood after the first two rounds, or are upset about how your picks turned out, it might be time for a reset.
The Sweet 16 is just a few days away, and as we’ve seen so far in this tournament, anything can happen.
In other words, what goes up maybe Step back — unless you’re talking about ticket prices for the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments.
As a tip, we recommend purchasing as soon as possible.
Tickets are in high demand for the men’s and women’s Sweet 16 sessions, which stretch from Boston to Los Angeles on the men’s side and from Albany to Portland on the women’s side.
But how much of this year’s breakout women’s player, Iowa State’s Caitlin Clark, is driving sales?
Clark drove viewership for last year’s Iowa vs. LSU women’s NCAA finals to 9.9 million viewers. And it looks like that will be no different this year.
Below, we take a closer look at the relative ticket prices for this weekend’s men’s and women’s Sweet 16s.
| Women’s NCAA Sweet 16 | Ticket prices start at: |
|---|---|
| March 29th – April 1st: all sessions (Oregon State vs. Notre Dame, South Carolina vs. Indiana, LSU vs. UCLA, Colorado vs. Iowa) at MVP Arena in Albany. | $630 |
| March 30th: session 2 (LSU vs. UCLA, Colorado vs. Iowa) | $187 |
All-session tickets for the Albany women’s bracket, featuring Clark and Iowa, reigning national champion LSU and national champion South Carolina, start at $630.
Compare these prices to the prices for Women’s NCAA full session tickets in Portland. Tickets start at just $163 for the weekend, featuring her college perennial powerhouses UConn and Stanford.
Here’s everything you need to know about Caitlin Clark’s March Madness run
Printable NCAA Women’s Slots: Complete the 2024 March Madness Field
And how much are you willing to pay for a single session ticket to some of the hottest games in Portland? Just $30.
While there is a significant price difference between the women’s Sweet 16 and men’s all-session tickets, one factor to consider is that while the men’s tournament is split across four cities (Los Angeles, Boston, Detroit, and Dallas), The women’s tournament, on the other hand, is split between two cities. For the tournament (Portland, Albany), if you purchase a ticket for the men’s full session, she will have access to 3 games instead of 6.
| Men’s NCAA Sweet 16 | Ticket prices start at: |
|---|---|
| March 28-30: All West Regional sessions at Crypto Arena in Los Angeles. | $205 |
| March 28-30: All Eastern Region sessions at TD Garden in Boston. | $423 |
| March 29-31: All Midwest sessions at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit | $358 |
| March 29-31: All South Region sessions at American Airlines Center in Dallas | $361 |
That means Caitlin’s bump is real! But that doesn’t mean you can expect to pay less than $200 for Men’s Sweet Sixteen tickets right away.
The March Madness bracket may leave some surprises, but we already know what to expect when it comes to tournament ticket prices.
Sure, tickets cost a lot of money, but can you really put a price on witnessing history?
