March Madness: Your guide to the NCAA Final Four in Phoenix

PHOENIX — This weekend, the only thing on the mind of most people in the Phoenix area will be the NCAA Final Four tournament.

The college basketball semifinal and championship games will be played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale on April 1 and April 3, but there are a slew of other events going on in the Valley.

If you’re not into sports at all, the games or events will likely come up in conversation, even if it’s just complaining about the increased traffic sitting around the dinner table.

With so much excitement and so many complications — both on and off the court — we put together this handy guide that will serve as your source for everything March Madness in Phoenix.

So what’s the Madness all about?

Staff members for the NCAA places the names of the teams in the Sweet 16 on a bracket in the media work room before the start of practices, Thursday, March 23, 2017, at the East Regional of the NCAA college basketball tournament. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Basically, the games played in Phoenix will decide the national collegiate basketball champion.

The Final Four is similar to the National College Football Playoff, in that four teams square off for the chance to play in the championship. The basketball tournament is also single-elimination style, so if a team loses, the season is over.

But unlike football, the semifinals and finals are played in one city. This year, that city is Glendale.

After a weekend of games, we finally know the four teams who are booking tickets to the Valley: No. 1 seeds North Carolina and Gonzaga will be joined by Oregon and South Carolina.

If you want to catch the games live, tickets are still available. Prices start at $180.

Where are all the events?

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There will be numerous events taking place in both Glendale and downtown Phoenix during the Final Four.

The biggest event is undoubtedly a free three-day music festival that begins March 31 at Margaret T. Hance Park near Central Avenue and Interstate 10.

The event will be headlined by Aerosmith on Sunday, April 2, but will also feature some top acts, such as Keith Urban, the Chainsmokers and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. We’ve put the entire lineup in a gallery below that will be updated as more artists are announced.

Friday’s artists will play from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday’s will play from 2 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Sunday’s show runs from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

But, as every game show host says, that’s not all!

The Final Four Fan Fest will run March 31 through April 3 at the Phoenix Convention Center. The Fan Fest will feature youth clinics, interactive games as well as autograph sessions.

In Glendale, the tournament will kick off March 31 with Final Four Friday at University of Phoenix Stadium. Beginning at 11 a.m., each of the participating Final Four teams will hold one-hour practices open to the public free of charge.

The Final Four Dribble will be held on Sunday, April 2 in downtown Phoenix. Thousands of children who registered online will receive basketballs to dribble along a route ending at the Fan Fest entrance.

It is important to note that all events will have a clear-bag only policy in place.

So how bad will traffic be?

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We recommend packing a little extra patience in your lunch bag when the Final Four is in town.

The Arizona Department of Transportation said it expects heavy traffic in the West Valley on both April 1 and April 3 as fans make their way to and from the games. Anyone driving in that area — specifically I-10 or the Loop 101 — should allow for plenty of extra time.

People who work or live in the West Valley may want to consider leaving earlier or later from work to avoid the worst of the traffic, especially on Monday. The championship tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m., meaning game traffic will match up with the worst of rush hour.

Those heading to the game may want to get to University of Phoenix Stadium parking lots ahead of time. The lots open at 1 p.m. and tailgating events begin an hour later.

If you absolutely need to drive during the busy period, ADOT suggested drivers use the northern portion of the Loop 101 to Interstate 17 to avoid the West Valley.

The West Valley isn’t the only part of town that will experience tricky traffic.

The Third Street HOV exit ramp on westbound I-10 will be closed from 3:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on March 31, 1:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on April 1 and 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on April 2 to allow for all the downtown events.

Anyone heading downtown should also consider using Seventh Avenue from I-17 from the south for easier access.

While there is plenty of parking in downtown, a lot of streets — especially near Margaret T. Hance Park — will be closed at various times throughout the weekend.

For those who want to avoid tangling with the roads, the light rail is extending service during the Final Four. On March 31 and April 1, trains will run until 2 a.m. and on April 2, they will be in operation until midnight.

It makes stops at both major downtown events, but officials said riders should allow for some extra travel time as lines will likely be long. During a similar downtown event for the Super Bowl, the light rail welcomed a record 126,000 people in just one day alone.

The light rail has 11 free park-and-ride lots and an all-day pass costs $4.

Extra security will be present on the light rail during the Final Four.

Valley Metro will also offer special bus service to the games from the park-and-ride at 19th and Montebello avenues. A bus fare is required.

Is it going to be nice out that weekend?

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The weather looks like it will be on its best behavior for Final Four fans.

After a high of 90 degrees on Thursday, the National Weather Service called for a high temperature of just 68 degrees on Friday. Things will warm up as the weekend plays out, with Monday — aka championship day — set for a nice 84 degrees.

It will be a little cool at night, however. Overnight lows are expected to be in the 50s.

Is there anything else to do besides basketball?

Kansas City Royals’ Alex Gordon is tagged out by Arizona Diamondbacks’ Brandon Drury trying to steal second during the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game Tuesday, March 21, 2017, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

It’s the Valley in spring. Of course there are a lot of other events going on.

The biggest — which will only serve to further complicate things in the downtown area — is the Arizona Diamondbacks’ home opener. The team will begin its 2017 Major League Baseball campaign on April 2 with a 1:10 p.m. first pitch at Chase Field.

The D-backs will also play an exhibition game against the Cleveland Indians on March 31 at Chase Field at 6:40 p.m.

Another of the Valley’s professional teams plays on April 2, but it’s basketball. The Phoenix Suns are scheduled to play the Houston Rockets at 6 p.m. at Talking Stick Resort Arena in downtown.

As is if there wasn’t enough going on in downtown that weekend, the Phoenix Pride Festival will be held April 1 and April 2 at Steele Indian School Park near Indian School Road and Central Avenue. A parade is scheduled for the morning of April 2 on Third Street between Thomas and Indian School roads.

Downtown Phoenix is not the only place that will be jam-packed that weekend: The Tempe Spring Festival of the Arts will run from March 31 to April 2.

During the art festival, Mill Avenue will be closed from University Drive to Rio Salado Parkway and hundreds of artists will set up shop to sell their wares. Businesses along the popular street will be open.

For those who are looking for a sport of a more wintry nature, the Arizona Coyotes play the Washington Capitals on Friday night.

Another seasonal event, the annual Renaissance Fair, will hold its final weekend ending April 2. The closing weekend tends to draw crowds that are larger than average.

The fair is held in Gold Canyon on the east side of the Valley.

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