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FinalFourConcierge.com > Honda Center |
NCAA Final Four Champs |
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NCAA March Madness 2008 > Honda Center |
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NCAA Final Four Information |
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March Madness 2008 |
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Future Final Four Locations |
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The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single elimination tournament
held each spring featuring 65 college basketball teams in the United States.
Colloquially known as March Madness (as the tournament takes place mainly during
the month of March) or the Big Dance (as opposed to the now smaller and less
prestigious NIT), the tournament takes place over 3 weeks at sites across the
United States, and the national semifinals (the Final Four) have become one of
the nation's most prominent sporting events. Since its 1939 inception (a brainchild of Phog Allen at the University of Kansas), it has built a legacy that includes dynasty teams and dramatic underdog stories. In recent years, friendly wagering on the event has become something of a national pastime, spawning countless "office pools" that attract expert fans and novices alike. All games of the tournament are broadcast on the CBS broadcast television network in the United States, except for the Opening Round game (or "play-in game" as it has been called), which aired on TNN in 2001, and ESPN since 2002. The tournament bracket is made up of conference tournament champions from each Division I conference, which receive automatic bids. The remaining slots are at-large berths, with teams chosen by an NCAA selection committee. The selection process and tournament seedings are based on several factors, including team rankings, win-loss records and RPI data. Two low-seeded teams (typically teams with poor records that qualified by winning their conference tournament championships) play the "opening round" game to determine which will advance into the first round of the tournament, with the winner advancing to play the top seed in one of the four regions. The opening Round game was added in 2001 and has been played in University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio each subsequent year. The opening round is considered part of the tournament and is often referred to as a "play-in" game. |
Honda Center, previously known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim and sometimes colloquially
called the Honda Ponda or simply The Pond, is an indoor arena in Anaheim,
California. The arena is home to the NHL's Anaheim Ducks and was home of the
former NLL's Anaheim Storm, which folded in 2005. Originally named the Anaheim
Arena, it was completed in 1993 at a cost of $123 million. Arrowhead Water paid
$15 million for the naming rights over 10 years in October 1993. Honda later
acquired the naming rights to the arena for $60 million over 15 years which changed
its name in October 2006. The arena opened on June 19, 1993 with a Barry Manilow concert as its first event. Since then, it has been host to a number of events, such as the Stanley Cup Finals in 2003 and 2007. On June 6, 2007, the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Ottawa Senators, 6-2, in Game 5 of the Finals at Honda Center to clinch the franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup championship. The arena seats up 17,174 for its primary tenant, the Ducks. There are 84 luxury suites in the building, which has hosted 17.5 million people as of 2003. |
Various WWE major events have been held here, such as WrestleMania XII, WrestleMania
2000 (XVI), and the Royal Rumble in 1999. UFC 59, UFC 63, and UFC 76 have been
at Honda Center as well. It hosted the 2005 IBF World Championships for badminton
in 2005. It has also hosted concerts, such as Nine Inch Nails, Aerosmith,
Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, Coldplay, U2, Shakira, Metallica, Madonna, Phil Collins,
Queen + Paul Rodgers, Britney Spears, Barbra Streisand, Shania Twain, Destiny's
Child, Beyonce, NSYNC, Tina Turner, Maroon 5, Justin Timberlake, Christina
Aguilera, Circa Survive, Janet Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney,
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, and many more. |
On Sunday, March 16, the 65-team bracket for the 2008 NCAA® Division I Men's Basketball
Championship® will be announced at 5pm CST on CBS. Tune in to all the 2008 Championship action on CBS beginning Thursday, March 20. The Opening Round game will be broadcast live on ESPN on Tuesday, March 18. Game times will be confirmed and announced no later than 3:30pm on Monday afternoon, March 17 on.................................................. www.NCAAsports.com. |
March 18, 2008 UD Arena Dayton, Ohio Host: University of Dayton UD Arena Concierge March 20 and 22, 2008 Honda Center Anaheim, California Host: Big West Conference Honda Center Concierge Pepsi Center Denver, Colorado Hosts: Colorado State University Pepsi Center Concierge Qwest Center Omaha Omaha, Nebraska Hosts: Creighton University Qwest Center Omaha Concierge Verizon Center Washington, D.C. Host: Georgetown University Verizon Center Concierge March 21 and 23, 2008 BJCC Arena Birmingham, Alabama Host: Southeastern Conference BJCC Arena Concierge Alltel Arena Little Rock, Arkansas Host: University of Arkansas Alltel Arena Concierge RBC Center Raleigh, North Carolina Host: North Carolina State University RBC Center Concierge St. Pete Times Forum Tampa, Florida Host: University of South Florida St Pete Times Forum Concierge March 27 and 29, 2008 East Regional Charlotte Bobcats Arena Charlotte, North Carolina Host: University of North Carolina Charlotte Arena Concierge West Regional US Airways Center Phoenix, Arizona Host: Arizona State University US Airways Center Concierge March 28 and 30, 2008 Midwest Regional Ford Field Detroit, Michigan Host: University of Detroit Mercy Ford Field Concierge South Regional Reliant Stadium Houston, Texas Host: University of Houston and Rice Reliant Stadium Concierge Final Four: April 5 and 7, 2008 Alamodome San Antonio, Texas Host: Univ. of Texas-San Antonio Alamodome Concierge |
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From 1994 to 1998, it served as a second home for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers.
It was the home arena for the Anaheim Bullfrogs of Roller Hockey International
from 1993 to 1999 and for the Anaheim Piranhas of the Arena Football League from
1996 to 1997. Since 1994, the arena has hosted the annual John R. Wooden Classic.
The arena has also hosted the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament three times as the West Regional site - 1998, 2001, and 2003. It will host the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional site in 2008. It even hosted the Frozen Four in 1999, underscoring the popularity of hockey in the region. It will host the Big West Conference men's basketball tournament in 2008. |