This Saturday the NCAA March Madness men’s Final Four tips off at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis. Last week preparations were well underway.
Crews transformed the football facility into a basketball venue within hours. The custom championship court came together as workers carried the 165 pound floor panels and installed them one-by-one. Others created a chain to pass and place an additional five-thousand seats for the event.
Michigan company Connor Sports made the brand new floor that will be used for the Final Four games.
The northern maple floorboards are made by hand at a mill in Michigan before the court is assembled and finished with painted logos and sealed. It also undergoes testing to confirm it meets regulations.
It’s a process the company has perfected over its 20-year history of providing the men’s and women’s championship courts. Zach Riberdy said it’s something the company takes pride in.
“Knowing that what we’re doing here, and especially we get to provide the stage for all the exciting moments, all the memories, all the legacy that you guys are going to see, that’s pretty awesome for us to be a part of, ” Riberdy said.
He said the winning team will have first rights to purchase the court. If they choose not to buy it, then it will be offered to other participating schools. Riberdy said he’s seen schools repurpose the courts as decorative fixtures to commemorate their success.
This will be the stadium’s fourth time to host the men’s Final Four.
Lucas Oil Stadium General Manager Eric Neuburger said the facility was built with this event in mind.
“When this was being designed, there were members of the NCAA staff who helped design the building,” Neuburger said. “So you'll see our sight lines for an NFL stadium are actually designed to be prime for basketball in a center position like this.”
The Final Four games tip off this Saturday.
Illinois and UConn will play at 6:09p.m. Then shortly after, Michigan and Arizona will play at 8:49p.m. The winners of both of those games will advance to play in the championship game Monday, April 6, at 8:30p.m.
Contact WFYI All Things Considered newscaster and reporter Samantha Horton at shorton@wfyi.org or on Signal at SamHorton.05
