March Madness will invade NRG Stadium, formerly Reliant Stadium, for Sweet 16 and Elite Eight NCAA tournament action. The home of the Houston Texans will play host to these match ups in the South Region. The Sweet 16 matchups will take place on March 27th when Utah will square off against the mighty Duke Blue Devils. Additionally, the Cinderella UCLA Bruins will battle the No. 2 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second matchup. The winners of these two contests will play each other in the Elite Eight on March 29th.
According to TiqIQ, tickets for this tournament action are going for extremely reasonable prices. $440.12 is the average price for all-sessions passes on the secondary market. However, they are going for as low as $171.00 to get in the door. The Sweet Sixteen matchups are going for an average price of $241.66 on the secondary market, but tickets cost as low as $92.00. The Elite Eight matchups are going for even less, with an average price of $209.80. The $75.00 get-in price makes these games extremely affordable, but prices can change due to who is in the game.
With affordable ticket prices, you may think about using Hipmunk.com to take in the action in person. Hipmunk has flights to and from Houston through a multitude of airlines, and can help you stay in the area, with deals on Houston hotels from $76 so you can take in both rounds of action.
The Duke Blue Devils have had one of their best seasons in recent memory. Although they are always towards the top of the rankings, this season is different. Freshman center Jahlil Okafor is a transcendent talent, and he netted 26 points in Duke’s dismantling of San Diego State in the round of 32. Utah will have their hands full, but they are coming off an emotional victory over Georgetown, a game in which Utah scored 75 points. Duke looks like one of the best teams in the tournament, and their loss to Mercer last season looks to be fueling their fire as they pursue a national championship. Utah has the defensive edge, but Duke has a significant edge offensively.
Kyle Wiltjer and the Gonzaga Bulldogs have prove some people wrong this tournament. Experts cautioned about Gonzaga because they have had early exits from the tournament in the past, but this team seems to be different. Former Kentucky forward Wiltjer gives this team championship pedigree, and it showed in their 10-point victory over Iowa, who had previously dismantled the exciting Davidson Wildcats. They’ll square off against the UCLA Bruins, who some thought didn’t belong in the tournament in the first place. The Bruins topped Southern Methodist University, and then caught a break when UAB topped tournament favorite Iowa State. The Bruins were able to best the Blazers of UAB by spanking the Blazers on the boards, out rebounding them by a score of 41-26.
These match ups seem to be intriguing, and there is definitely potential for some major upsets and storylines in the South Region. Houston fans will be able to see this action for reasonable prices.
