Kansas City preps for NCAA fans, festivities

Open practice sessions, spirit rallies among the excitement Downtown

Kansas City, MO—Hosting on average more college basketball games than any other American city each March, Kansas City is no stranger to entertaining basketball fans, making it the perfect destination to host the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Regional, March 23 & 25 at Sprint Center. The event is expected to attract thousands of basketball fans to the City of Fountains—and generate more than $10.4 million for Kansas City’s economy. For more information, including ticket and hospitality packages, visit the Official Fan Information Site at VisitKC.com/Regionals.

Among the festivities awaiting fans:

Free Practice Sessions
On Wednesday, March 22, all teams will hold practice sessions at Sprint Center. This event is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 11 a.m. and the first 100 guests will receive an exclusive giveaway. Guests may enter through the Grand Blvd. entrance only. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult or parental guardian.

Practice Schedule for Wednesday, March 22

  • (#7) Michigan: noon - 12:50 p.m.
  • (#4) Purdue: 1:00 - 1:50 p.m.
  • (#3) Oregon: 2:10 - 3 p.m.
  • (#1) Kansas: 3:10 - 4 p.m. 

Spirit Rallies and Fan Fest
Just across the street from the tournament action at Sprint Center is the Kansas City Power & Light District. Beginning Thursday, the District will host the Miller Lite Basketball Fan Fest presented by Sports Radio 810. The festive atmosphere includes watch parties, contests, live music, giveaways and more in the country’s biggest outdoor sports bar. Fan Fest is free to attend and open to all ages (21 and older after 9 p.m.). Fans can also cheer on their teams at free pep rallies inside KC Live!, the venue’s open-air courtyard. The schedule is as follows:   

Spirit Rally Schedule for Thursday, March 23

  • (#3) Oregon: 4:10 - 4:30 p.m.
  • (#7) Michigan: 4:35 - 4:55 p.m.
  • (#1) Kansas: 5:00 - 5:20 p.m.
  • (#4) Purdue: 5:25 - 5:45 p.m.

Spirit rallies for the Regional final on Saturday, March 25, will be announced soon.

The College Basketball Experience
Named one of the nation’s top five interactive museums by Wired magazine, The College Basketball Experience is a hands-on facility that recreates the intensity of a college basketball game—from foul-line hecklers to last-second buzzer beaters. The venue is connected to Sprint Center via common lobby and also houses the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Learn more at collegebasketballexperience.com.

College Basketball Capital of America
No one does basketball like Kansas City. In fact, during the month of March, KC hosts more college basketball games on average than anywhere else in the country. In 2017, the impressive total comes to 57 games in just 16 days. But there’s a whole lot more to this vibrant city than just hoops. For more information about Kansas City and all there is to see and do, go to VisitKC.com.

-- KC –

About Visit KC
Visit KC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to ignite global passion for visiting Kansas City. Through marketing, sales and service of the convention and tourism industries, Visit KC supports a vital and growing component of the local economy—generating more than 46,000 jobs and $5.1 billion in economic impact annually. For more information about Kansas City, go to VisitKC.com.

Media Contacts

Devin Aaron
Devin Aaron 
(National/International Media)
Visit KC
816-691-3805
daaron@visitkc.com
Makenzie Wolters
Makenzie Wolters 
(Kansas City/Regional Media)
Visit KC
816-691-3811
mwolters@visitkc.com

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