Rupp Arena NCAA tournament tickets on sale today

The NCAA Tournament is coming to Lexington, Kentucky. You can secure your spot for March Madness by purchasing tickets to this year's first and second round games at Rupp Arena.

Before I share the details, I would like to remind you Kentucky will not participate in any of these games at Rupp Arena. NCAA rules prohibit teams from playing first- or second-round games on their home court.

Even if you can't see your favorite team in the blue and white in the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena, it's a joy to see March Madness in person. In 2013, Louisville drew Rupp Arena's opening games. The card games weren't fun – except for the kid in the Colorado State Ram mascot hat – but I was thrilled to watch Marquette and Davidson compete in the home of Kentucky basketball. Being a neutral fan while other fan bases are in full swing is an experience that can only be had in the NCAA Tournament.

Advance ticket sales for the 2025 NCAA Tournament games at Rupp Arena begin at noon today. The window will remain open until midnight tomorrow evening. Use promo code RUPPNCAA25 to find all available tickets here.

NCAA tournament history at Rupp Arena

This spring will mark the thirteenth time Rupp Arena will host NCAA Tournament games, and the first time the event will be held in Lexington since 2013. The last time it was a regional venue was in 2002, when Indiana pulled off a stunning upset of Duke en route to the National Championship Game, the Hoosiers' last trip to a Final Four.

Rupp Arena hosted a Final Four and it was one of the most memorable in the history of sports. Three Big East teams traveled to Lexington in 1985 and the biggest underdog left victorious. No. 8 seed Villanova defeated Patrick Ewing's Georgetown Hoyas 66-64 in one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history. Rollie Massimino's team is still the lowest seeded team to ever win a national championship, and they did it by defeating the defending national championships.

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