The average price paid for a ticket on the resale market this week was twice as high for the NCAA women’s Final Four compared with that for the men’s semifinals, according to a technology company that analyzes prices across multiple platforms.
The average price of a ticket sold to the women’s semifinals was $2,323; the average sale price for the men’s was $1,001.21, Logitix reported Wednesday.
The women’s games Friday match Iowa against Connecticut and South Carolina against North Carolina State at 19,432-seat Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland. Including data from sales made a month ago and longer, the average price for the women’s semifinals is $1,131.78, compared with $400.29 for the same period in 2023.
The men’s games Saturday pit Purdue against North Carolina State and Connecticut against Alabama at 63,400-seat State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Overall average ticket price for the men’s semifinals is $993.70, compared with $636.43 in 2023.
A ticket to the women’s championship game on Sunday was selling for an average of $1,110.63 this week. The average ticket to the men’s title game Monday was selling for $646.45.
The higher price for the women’s games is partially due to ticket supply for the men’s games being greater because seating capacity at its venue is three times larger, a Logitix spokesman said. He added that demand for women’s tickets is unprecedented and driven by fanfare for Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, the all-time leading scorer in Division I. The Hawkeyes have played before sellout crowds — at home, on the road and at neutral sites — for all but two games this season.
The NCAA sells ticket packages — now sold out — that include all three games of the Final Four. Face value ranges from $200 to $400 for the women’s semfinals and final and $250 to $900 for the men’s semifinals and final.
Tickets on the resale market can be sold separately for the semifinals (both games) and final because they are held on different days and require different digital entry QR codes.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
The Associated Press