NCAA Final Four notebook: Playing basketball in a football stadium takes some getting used to
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 02: A general view of the exterior of Lucas Oil Stadium prior to the Men's Final Four on April 02, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images INDIANAPOLIS—The largest arena in the NBA in terms of capacity is the United Center in Chicago, which can hold 20,917 fans. The biggest in college is Louisville’s KFC Yum!
Center, which has a capacity of 22,090. When the 2026 Final Four gets underway on Saturday, with Illinois and UConn meeting in the first semifinal, more than 70,000 people could be in attendance inside Lucas Oil Stadium. So it goes when college basketball is played inside a football stadium.
Friday’s open practice was the second opportunity for players from all four teams to get used to the layout of the venue, with a court raised two feet above the team benches. Beyond the playing surface, there were the sightlines for shooting to acclimate to. “It’s definitely weird being up, and the stands and all that stuff farther out, but we’re going to adjust and play our game,” Arizona guard Jaden Bradley said.
“At the end of the day we’re all playing on the same court. I’m just a hooper, all I need is a ball and a rim and I’m going to get used to the environment. ” The NCAA has exclusively used football domes for the Final Four since 2000, and though each venue’s layout is slightly different what has stayed the same is the tendency for some bad performances from 3-point range.
In the the 75 Final Four games more teams have shot below 30 percent (53) than above 40 percent (47). That could bode well for the UA, which has become notorious for not relying on the perimeter shot. It has only attempted 53 triples in the NCAA tourney, making 23, while Michigan is 45 of 101.
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