EatKC
A guide to Kansas City
EatKC
March is LOADED with college basketball in Kansas City — this year, more than ever before.
Filling up nearly 20 of the 31 calendar days in March, college basketball is taking over Kansas City’s crown jewels of sports entertainment hosting: T-Mobile Center and Municipal Auditorium.
Below, explore the many electrifying March Madness events taking place in Kansas City that captivate audiences of the thousands. Also, discover the delicious food and fun activities that come along with all the madness.
The college basketball lineup kicks off right away on March 1 and continues until the last week of the month with these action-packed events:
Kansas City has a long history with basketball and has thrived by hosting the sport for over 100 years. Let’s take a look at where and how you can watch these big-time tournaments.
March 6 — March 10 / Municipal Auditorium
Both the men’s and women’s tournaments will feature 10 of the best 14 teams to compete in a 9-game, single-elimination competition.
Tickets are available now. The championship games are Sunday, March 10. The women’s tip-off is at 1 p.m. and the men’s at 3:30 p.m.
March 12 — March 16 / T-Mobile Center
As one of the most popular events in Kansas City (when the Chiefs and Royals aren’t winning championships), the Big 12 Tournament brings in crowds by the thousands as fans from all over Big 12 nation descend upon this great city.
This is one of the premier conference tournaments in the country. It lives in KC. For 15 straight years, the Big 12 teams battle it out in T-Mobile Center (before named Sprint Center) for the automatic bid into the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
13 games stretched over four days. And, the Big 12 champion will be crowned Saturday, March 16. All-session tickets are on sale now.
March 7 — March 12 / T-Mobile Center
For the first time at T-Mobile Center, the Women’s Big 12 Tournament tips off a day after the men’s.
The women will have a nearly identical schedule to the men as well. The 13-game thriller will boil down to the championship game Sunday, March 12. Tickets are available now to purchase.
This year marks the fourth consecutive in which both the Women’s and Men’s Big 12 Basketball Championships will take place in KC. This city couldn’t be more proud to hold that honor.
March 21 — March 26 / Municipal Auditorium
The NAIA men’s tournament is college basketball’s oldest national championship, dating back to 1937. And, this will be Kansas City’s 78th time hosting.
In a span of six days, you can watch as 16 teams enter the gauntlet, but only one team will come out victorious on March 26. All-tournament and single-day tickets are available now.
No matter which tournament you decide to attend, there is plenty of choices for a good meal in the four blocks sandwiched in between the two event spaces.
If you can’t get enough of sports, then try out these fan-raving sports bars in the Power & Light District:
For more of a sitdown type restaurant to enjoy conversation and good libations, check out these restaurants that line 14th St.:
But, before you can get to any of the tasty meals at one of the March Madness events in Kansas City, you’ll have to deal with parking.
The simplest option is to find a parking garage if you’re willing to pay. When it comes to street parking, almost every spot will have a time limit or be metered, which makes it more difficult to find a spot that’s not too far away.
Some recent additions to downtown KC have made parking much easier. Thanks to the KC Streetcar, you can park anywhere along Main Street from Union Station to the River Market and catch a free ride to the March Madness tournaments. No matter how you get there, you are sure to have a ballin’ time at the March Madness events in Kansas City.