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The Madness is coming! It’s March and the first official sign that the spring season is upon us is when I tear my bracket to shreds three games into the NCAA college basketball tournament. Don’t you just love this time of year?
Selection Sunday takes place on Sunday (obviously), March 16. The 68-team fields for both the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments will be announced during selection shows. Then, it’s time to gear up, go wheels up (in some cases), and wait for the inevitable combination of Cinderella story meets agonizing heartbreak.
Maybe, you’re a Duke Blue Devils fan, and you can say with some level of certainty every year that your team will be in the field of 68. Maybe, you’re a Texas Longhorns fan and it’s been a rough year, but your team should still hopefully make the field, and you’re just hoping for an unlikely, yet short trip to San Antonio for the Final Four. Whatever your team’s situation, here’s some helpful travel tips for March Madness, as well as some important game day advice.
Tickets are the first thing you should secure, unless you plan in spend a few days in San Antonio regardless of whether your team makes the Final Four (the Riverwalk is great!). Tickets are available now on StubHub. But, all we know right now is when games are taking place, and where. It will be a mad dash for tickets after each game, when the next round and opponent are confirmed.
Again, if you have unlimited miles, sure, go ahead and book that flight to San Antonio for the Final Four. Otherwise, you’ll need to know your team’s destination first.
There are 13 different sites and locations for the men’s tournaments before the Final Four. There are an additional two locations for the women’s tournament. These range from San Francisco, to Birmingham, Alabama, to Providence, Rhode Island, before the men’s tournament heads to Texas and the women travel to Florida.
This could be good or bad, for you. If you’re reppin’ those Blue Devils, and you have to travel to Seattle, might be a tougher flight. But, if you’re a Longhorns fan heading to San Antonio, you could make the hour and a half drive, or Expedia has direct flights starting at just $97.
You always have options when you travel, one of them being where you stay. This will depend on which city you’re heading to, maybe you’ll want to be in the mix of things in downtown near the arena, or maybe in a less urban space in one of those smaller college towns (looking at you, Lexington).
If you’re looking for something a little more personal, or if you’re traveling in a group, AirBnB has great options in cities around the world, including the location of the men’s Final Four. Plus, you might find some pretty serious Wolfpack fans with an AirBnb in Raleigh.
But, if you’re looking to class it up a bit and get a different experience, maybe with a view, book a hotel a few days in advance, like the Hilton. Hilton Palacio Del Rio, and Canopy by Hilton San Antonio Riverwalk are both great options if you’re heading to the Final Four, both options are less than two miles from the Alamodome, an enjoyable walk or a short Uber.
Merch is a must-have. If your team is dancing, you’ll want to grab the latest gear from Fanatics. Now that we’re in the NIL-era, that could be player-specific jersey, or just a team shirt. My personal favorite is the apparel line WEAR by longtime sports reporter Erin Andrews. It combines fashion and sports in the best way, but you can never go wrong with a jersey.
You’re in the city, you’ve got your tickets, you’ve got your merch, you’re ready to go, right? Here’s a few things that might make your gameday experience a little smoother.
Always remember to double-check stadium and arena FAQ sections for any location-specific rules.
Finally, here are some key dates to know for the upcoming NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

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