It may be called March Madness because of the month that the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is played in, but they should call it “ticket madness” for the nationwide scramble for tickets that ensues.
Scan any of the major secondary ticket sites, or RazorGator the NCAA’s official ticket reseller, and the transactions for tickets are coming fast and furious, as fans move to grab tickets once their favorite team wins.
According to StubHub, as of today, March 21, the most expensive tournament ticket sold on the site so far went for just under $6,500 for the Final Four, and the average price per ticket for the first and second round is $213, up nearly $30 from last year’s first and second round average.
But, perhaps it’s the interest out on the street, in and around the arenas, where a lot of the action still takes place.
The NCAA frowns on ticket scalping for the tournament, but that doesn’t stop sellers, and buyers, from taking a chance on tickets. In Omaha, NE, published reports had tickets selling for $1,400 for tickets for the full weekend’s worth of games, hundreds of dollars above face value.