History
Indianapolis previously hosted the Men’s Final Four in 1980 (Market Square Arena); 1991, 1997, 2000, and 2006 at the RCA Dome; and 2010, 2015 and 2021 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The 2015 Men’s Final Four set several attendance and viewership records. The two-session Final Four attendance totaled 143,387, the highest ever for Lucas Oil Stadium. The Turner Sports exclusive presentation of the national semifinals across TBS, TNT and truTV grossed 16.4 million total viewers while the Kentucky-Wisconsin game became the most-viewed college basketball game of all time on a cable television network. In addition, a record-breaking 2,069 media credentials were issued and more than 76,832 people attended Final Four Fan Fest, which set an all-time record.
The 2021 Men’s Final Four marked the 24th time since 1940 that the men’s basketball championship has come to Indianapolis. Indianapolis has also been the host for an NCAA Men’s Basketball Regional on five occasions (1940, 1979, 2009, 2013 and 2014) with the Regional returning in 2020. The city hosted first and second round competition in 1978, 1982, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1996, 2003, 2005, 2017, 2022 and 2024 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Women’s Final Four has also been held in Indianapolis three times (2005, 2011 and 2016).
