2012 NCAA Final Four in Louisiana Superdome

For the elusive 2012 NCAA Final Four Basketball series, there is no better arena than the Superdome. Since opening in 1975, this immense stadium has not only hosted NFL games for the New Orleans Saints, but many other events. For basketball fans, this means that over 55,000 individuals will be able to attend next year’s prestigious college basketball event. Fans looking to come out on March 31st can expect major improvements made specifically for basketball viewing.

Aside from a raised platform and extra rows of seating, fans will be closer than ever to the action. The NCAA has taken the liberty to budget and install special seating so that fans will be able to see the most college basketball action for their dollar. Even for the most distant seats, there will be a huge octagonal scoreboard above the court that will offer sharp details and statistics. According to NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Championship spokesman L. J. Wright, these special seats have been used for the past four years to improve viewing conditions for the fans. There will also be a plentiful amount of suites for fans looking to get special accommodation.

Such a task will require diligent planning ahead of time. That is why the NCAA has taken the liberty to test raised platforms and seating structures in July, many months before the actual event is supposed to take place. When it comes to game time however, the setup will take approximately ten days and many hands. According to Wright, if the planning and new seating structure is implemented correctly, the specially adapted structure should be able to accommodate up to 77,000 fans, over 20,000 more from the original amount. Hopefully, any problems that arise will be caught early and can be solved. After all, the goal is to deliver the most pleasurable viewing experience for the fans. It will be interesting to see how many heads will actually be packed in the massive stadium.

2012 NCAA Final Four Early Projections

After the Connecticut Huskies won the national championship with only 28 to 1 odds in 2011, speculators are already hard at work to pick out who will be next in line to reign over college basketball. Some are even going as far to say that UConn will have a hard time getting to the NCAA tournament to begin with. After barely scraping past Kentucky by one point in 2011, beating Butler for the title was not a surprise as they were only ranked 8 going into the tournament.

One of the top contenders for next year might be the Ohio State Buckeyes. While only making it to the Sweet Sixteen, rumors of the return of Jared Sullinger  surely make their case more interesting. Coach Thad Matta will be looking forward to putting his six foot eight inch center back into the mix against a relatively weak Big Ten conference. Sullinger’s ability to dominate the paint while only being 19 years old will be a valuable asset to the incredible program that Matta has built over the years.

Another strong contender will be the North Carolina Tar Heels. Coach Roy Williams was pleased to hear that both of his big men, Tyler Zeller and John Henson, have decided not to enter the NBA draft and play hard for the Tar Heels. This will make an immense impact as the competition in the ACC includes some of the best teams in the nation. Currently, bookmakers have set the preseason odds of North Carolina winning at 3 to 1.

Other major contenders will surely be the Kentucky Wildcats, Texas Longhorns and of course, Duke. While these great programs always have strong showings during the season, they are each individually suffering from drawbacks like losing players to the NBA, young talent and finding the right chemistry.

2012 NCAA Final Four Ticket Lottery

Interested in getting 2012 Final Four tickets for face value? Get in line, the demand is so high that there is a lottery in place to make sure that it is fair. Applicants must submit their entrance and credit card payment by May 31st and the selection takes place in July 2011. The real catch is that only 20,000 entrants are allowed to apply. Winners will be announced sometime in August and by October they will be available on the resale market. Winners will begin receiving their booklets with the tickets sometime in February. However, even at face value, these tickets are not cheap.

Level 1 seats will run at $210 each, Level 2 at $190 and Level 3 at $170, a relatively small price difference compared to the difference in the real seat view. Luckily, the Louisiana Superdome is projected to hold almost 77,000 people because of the NCAA’s efforts to rearrange seats and stadium structure in order to optimize the experience for fans. As for the average consumer, the ticket resale market is going to boom going into March Madness for these seats. Fans can expect to see plenty of options in terms of seating, travel and other accommodations.

If you are planning to attend the Final Four in Louisiana, travel arrangements should be made early to ensure the best prices. Since the location is a fan favorite even if thee fan’s team is not in the tournament, it will be a great location for enjoying the festivities. New Orleans and the nightlife activity of Bourbon Street will surely offer a great experience for the fan of any team. New Orleans offers not only one of the largest venues, but an amazing stadium for fans. This will be the fifth time that New Orleans hosts this prestigious tournament.

5 Underdogs for 2012 NCAA Final Four

Next year’s NCAA basketball tournament should give a relatively great experience for fans and teams alike. Be sure to keep an eye out for these five teams that may make more noise than expected (or otherwise mentioned on ESPN). Within the SEC, the Florida Gators will look to have another impressive year after reaching the Elite Eight. Despite the loss of top senior forwards Vernon Macklin, Alex Tyus and Chandler Parsons, the newly found talent from the likes of Kenny Boynton, Erving Walker and Patric Young should make up for it.

After being knocked out of the Final Four tournament three times in the last five years by Florida, UCLA is looking much stronger this year. With only losing one top player, the previously young team is now faced with a strong roster of experienced seniors that is the deepest in over a decade. In addition, the arrival of David and Travis Wear from North Carolina should make for an interest bunch of talent.

Despite struggling with a 20-14 record and a third round loss to Kansas in the 2011 season, Illinois and coach Bruce Weber are looking forward to getting back on top. Junior-to-be like Brandon Paul and D.J Richardson will have to step up and claim leadership over the young crew of talent. This should offset the loss of local talent like Sherron Collins and Derrick Rose.

While not being a traditional underdog, Texas should be demoted because of the massive loss of talent they are facing. With freshman forward Tristan Thompson rumored to already have an agent and Jordan Hamilton projected to go the first round of the NBA draft, the longhorns surely have their work cut out for them.

While Probably being the most disappointing first round loss of 2011, the Cardinals will look for their senior trio to take the lead for 2012. This and 5 star guard Wayne Blackshear should make for an interesting March Madness come spring.

Tar Heels Look To Reclaim 2012 NCAA Title

After an unexpected loss in last year’s tournament, the North Carolina Tar Heels are in prime position to make strong showing in the 2012 Final Four tournament and the Championship game. After Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller announced that they would come back to campus, the college basketball community immediately saw that they would be a major player for the 2011-2012 season.

Not only are the Tar Heels keeping all seven of their top players, but they are also boasting a recruiting class ranked number four by ESPN. With a great combination of top talent, experienced coaching and a tradition of success, the Tar Heels are poised to make some noise this season.

A big part of the success from last year stemmed from Kendall Marshall stepping in to the role of starting point guard in mid-January. Since he did so, UNC boasted a 17-3 record and made it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament.

When it comes do defense, John Henson is one of the best shot blockers in the whole country. His incredible size coupled with amazing athletic ability allowed him to boast UNC’s record for shot blocking- 10 in a single game, 120 in a season and 304 in his career.

When it comes to performing, there is no better example than Tyler Zeller. The seven foot power forward is not only the leading scorer for the Tar Heels, but he boasted 26 Points Per Game during the NCAA Tournament. Unlike other big guys who struggle at the free throw line, Zeller boasts a solid 76.3 percent.

While the schedule for 2011-2012 is not set completely, analysts are predicting that UNC will surely pass or tie their record of 36 wins in a single season and will surely make it to the Final Four. This great combination of resources and talent should make for an interesting year in college basketball.

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