History of Final Four in Indianapolis and 2010 Preview

The 2010 Final Four will mark the 6th time that the event has been held in Indianapolis, the best city for amateur sports in the world.

And while you could probably make a pretty compelling argument that college basketball should not really be considered “amateur”, that is a debate for another day.

This post is designed to give you everything you need to know about the 2010 Final Four in Indianapolis, especially if you plan on attending, as well as the history of the Final 4s that have been held in the great city that I once called home.

2010 Final Four in Indianapolis Preview:

• 2010 Final 4 City: Indianapolis
• 2010 Final 4 Site: Lucas Oil Stadium
• 2010 Final 4 Date: Saturday, April 3rd (Title Game on April 5th)
• 2010 Final 4 TV: CBS
• Official Website: 2010 Final Four in Indianapolis
• StubHub: 2010 Indianapolis Final Four Tickets
• TicketsNow: 2010 Indianapolis Final Four Tickets
• RazorGator: 2010 Indy Final 4 Tickets
• TickCo: 2010 Indy Final 4 Tickets $20 off on orders of $200 or more at TickCo.com. Use Promo Code: ORDR20TC – promotion ends March 31, 2010

Also, if you are coming to Indianapolis from out of town, the following two links will help you get great deals on flights and hotels.

• Travelocity: Flight+3 Night Hotel Stays from $299
• Priceline: Save up to $325 on your Final 4 travel package to Indianapolis

Now, let’s take a quick look at the history of the Final Four in Indianapolis. Here are few quick notes that I found interesting, and then you can view the table below that breaks down every Final 4 that has been held in Indy.

• No Final Four in Indianapolis has featured a title game between two #1 seeds.
• In every Indy Final Four but one, there has been at least one team seeded #4 or lower that has made the Final Four.
• 20 teams total have played in the Final Four in Indianapolis; three of them have been #8 seeds. Thus, it’s only fitting that the greatest Cinderella run in tourney history, #11 seed George Mason in 2006, culminated in Indianapolis.

History of Final Four in Indianapolis

Year	NCAA Champion	NCAA Runner-Up	Title Game Score	Final Four Teams	Location
2010	???	???	???	???	Lucas Oil Stadium
2006	#3 Florida	#2 UCLA	73-57	#11 George Mason, #4 LSU	RCA Dome
2000	#1 Michigan State	#5 Florida	89-76	#8 Wisconsin, #8 North Carolina	RCA Dome
1997	#4 Arizona	#1 Kentucky	84-79	#1 North Carolina, #1 Minnesota	RCA Dome
1991	#1 Duke	#3 Kansas	72-65	#1 UNLV, #2 North Carolina	Hoosier Dome
1980	#2 Louisville	#8 UCLA	59-54	6 #6 Purdue, #5 Iowa	Market Square Arena

Table notes:

• Clicking on the year will take you to the Wikipedia page for that year’s Indy Final Four.
• The RCA Dome and the Hoosier Dame were the same venue; the name was changed from Hoosier to RCA in 1994. It was demolished in December of 2008 once Lucas Oil Stadium was completed.
• No, that’s not a type. The Purdue Boilermakers have, in fact, made a Final Four. Surprising, I know.

We are obviously still a month away from the Final Four, and far, far away from filling in the most important information in the table below, but it’s here waiting for when 65 teams have been whittled down to four.

2010 Final Four TV Schedule, Tip Time, Dates, Announcers, Spread

Game	Matchup	Date	Time	Location	Announcers	Spread
	FINAL FOUR
1	#5 Butler 52 def #5 Michigan State 50	April 3	6:07 PM*	Indianapolis, IN	Nantz-Kellogg	BUT -1.5
2	#1 Duke 78 def #2 West Virginia 57	April 3	8:47 PM*	Indianapolis, IN	Nantz-Kellogg	DUKE -2.5
	NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
3	#5 Butler v #1 Duke	April 5	9:21 PM	Indianapolis, IN	Nantz-Kellogg	Duke -6.5

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