What it Costs to go to the Final Four and Travel Tips

The road to the Final Four ends in Phoenix with college basketball fans from across the country traveling to Arizona for the final March Madness showdown, beginning on Saturday, April 1 and culminating on Monday, April 3 with the National Championship. With over 70,000 seats to fill at the University of Phoenix Stadium, there’s plenty of room to welcome fans from across the country. However, travel prices are climbing and hotels will go fast in the days leading up to the weekend of games. Orbitz.com takes a look.

AIRFARE PRICES

Fans traveling to witness basketball history in hot and sunny Phoenix from the Pacific Northwest and the Carolinas will see airfare at the following1:

·        University of South Carolina (Columbia to Phoenix) – roundtrip flights starting at $1,185 on Orbitz.com

·        Gonzaga University (Spokane to Phoenix) – roundtrip flights starting at $1,413 on Orbitz.com

·        University of Oregon (Eugene to Phoenix) – roundtrip flights starting at $1,242 on Orbitz.com

·        University of North Carolina (Raleigh-Durham to Phoenix) – roundtrip flights starting at $1,242 on Orbitz.com

HOTEL PRICES

Hotels near the stadium are booking up quickly with current rates on Orbitz.com starting at $233 per night for a 4-star hotel in the Glendale area. Below is a list of alternative neighborhoods with lodging options in the greater Phoenix area, for those who can’t get close to the stadium:

 
Neighborhood
   
Hotels Rates on Orbitz.com Starting At
    

Distance to Stadium

Downtown Phoenix
    
$379
    
16 miles

Goodyear
    
$194
    
10 miles

Peoria
    
$279
    
10 miles

Surprise
    
$207
    
11 miles

CAR RENTAL PRICES

For travelers who aren’t staying in the immediate vicinity of the stadium, transportation to games will be another travel cost. According to Orbitz.com, car rental rates start at just $15/day over this big game weekend.


TIPS FOR SAVING

·        AIRFARE: Fly out a day early, stay a day later to avoid higher airfare prices and find more availability on flights. Also, look to alternative airports in the area, including Mesa and Tucson

·        HOTEL: Use a promotion code such as EXPLOREMORE to save 15% on Orbitz.com

·        PACKAGE IT: If you need more than one travel component, package them together for the best savings

Various Final Four Odds

BetOnline.ag sportsbook brand manager Dave Mason has released the following betting trends and latest odds for the Final Four matchups.

For more visit; BetOnline.ag

61% of early bets on South Carolina (+6.5)

60% of bets on North Carolina (-5)

Futures: most bets to win it all (ordered top to bottom by volume):

    North Carolina
    Gonzaga
    Oregon
    South Carolina

Notes: Gamecocks would be a huge win for house, with Oregon almost as big.
Odds to Win - 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship     
North Carolina     +135
Gonzaga     +175
Oregon     +400
South Carolina     +700
      
Odds to Win - Exact Result     
North Carolina beats Gonzaga     +230
North Carolina beats South Carolina     +500
Oregon beats Gonzaga     +650
Oregon beats South Carolina     +1200
Gonzaga beats North Carolina     +320
Gonzaga beats Oregon     +450
South Carolina beats Oregon     +1600
South Carolina beats North Carolina     +1400
      
Odds to Win - Gonzaga vs. Field     
Gonzaga     +175
Field (any other team)     -220
      
Odds to Win - South Carolina vs. Field     
South Carolina     +700
Field (any other team)     -1250
      
Odds to Win - North Carolina vs. Field     
North Carolina     +135
Field (any other team)     -165
      
Odds to Win - Oregon  vs. Field     
Oregon     +400
Field (any other team)     -600


Matchup Odds:
      Spread     Price     ML     Over/Under     Price
South Carolina     +6½     -105     +240     Over 138     -110
Gonzaga     -6½     -115     -285     Under 138     -110
                              
      Spread     Price     ML     Over/Under     Price
Oregon     +5     -110     +180     Over 151.5     -110
North Carolina     -5     -110     -210     Under 151.5     -110

Look Who's in the Final Four

The NCAA Tournament Final Four is set. It will be South Carolina, North Carolina, Gonzaga and Oregon fighting for the national title.

Below, here's the TV schedule and who to watch and when for Saturday’s Final Four games.

Below that, the scores from the tournament so far.
The national semifinals (Final Four) from Phoenix will be televised Saturday, April 1, on CBS. The national championship will air Monday, April 3, on CBS.

Final Four
Saturday, April 1, 2017

6:09 p.m., CBS: No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 7 South Carolina (Live stream) Announcers: Jim Nantz / Bill Raftery / Grant Hill / Tracy Wolfson

8:49 p.m., CBS: No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 3 Oregon (Live stream) Announcers: Jim Nantz / Bill Raftery / Grant Hill / Tracy Wolfson

Officials Selected for 2016 Final Four

he NCAA has notified these 10 individuals selected to work the 2016 Final Four, which will be played at NRG Stadium in Houston:

Roger Ayers, Roanoke, Virginia

Jeff Clark, Cheltenham, Pennsylvania

Brian Dorsey, West Caldwell, New Jersey

Mike Eades, Princeton, West Virginia

Tom Eades, Gallatin, Tennessee 

John Higgins, Omaha, Nebraska

Tony Padilla, Sacramento, California

Michael Stephens, Providence, Rhode Island

Mark Whitehead, Denham Springs, Louisiana 

Terry Wymer, North Baltimore, Ohio

More here....  http://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/article/2016-03-31/march-madness-ncaa-d-i-mens-basketball-committee-names-game-officials

11 Crazy Facts About the Syracuse Run to the Final Four

From this Fox piece.

- Syracuse is the fourth double-digit seed in NCAA history to make the Final Four. The others: LSU (1986), George Mason (2006) and VCU (2011).

- The Orange are the first No. 10 seed to make the Final Four. The teams had previously been 0-9 in regional finals. Those F4 teams mentioned above were all No. 11s.

- Syracuse is 5-5 in its last 10 games. And yes, that includes the four wins the Orange have in the NCAA tournament.