NCAA South Region Open Team Practices Free Thursday
Mar 20, 2017 | General
Parking in Toyota Garage also free for the event.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Hoops fans everywhere, want a chance to see the teams playing in the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship South Regional for free? Then, make your way to FedExForum Thursday afternoon.
Starting at 12 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, fans can watch the free-of-charge, open practices for the four NCAA South Region participants – Butler, Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA. Parking in FedExForum's Toyota Parking Garage (attached to the arena) also is free for Thursday's open practices. The South Region open-practice schedule is as follows (all times Central):
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The 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship comes to FedExForum Mar. 24-26, with the South Region semifinals Friday, Mar. 24 and the regional championship game Sunday, Mar. 26. A limited number of single-session tickets still are available via Ticketmaster.com or FedExForum's box office.
The NCAA South Region is this tournament's lone one in which all four top seeds advanced to the regional semifinal round at FedExForum. No. 1 seed North Carolina meets No. 4 seed Butler, and No. 2 seed Kentucky faces No. 3 seed UCLA.
Times for Friday's NCAA South Regional semifinal games are set. The North Carolina-Butler game tips at 6:09 p.m. (CT), with the Kentucky-UCLA match-up to follow after the conclusion of the Tar Heels-Bulldogs contest. CBS is televising both NCAA South Region semifinal games.
The regional championship final's game time will be determined after Friday's semifinal contests.
It is the second time all four top seeds advanced to FedExForum for an NCAA regional, as the same occurred in 2009. In that 2009 regional, No. 1 North Carolina defeated No. 4 seed Gonzaga, and No. 2 seed Oklahoma beat No. 3 seed Syracuse. The Tar Heels defeated Oklahoma to move on to the NCAA Final Four.
This is the third time since 2009 FedExForum is hosting an NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Regional. In 2009, North Carolina won the NCAA South Region title at FedExForum on its way to the NCAA championship crown. In 2014, Florida defeated Dayton to earn the Gators a trip to the NCAA Final Four.
Below is a quick look at the four NCAA South Region participants:
Butler (25-8, 12-6 BIG EAST): The No. 4 seed Bulldogs advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with wins over No. 13 seed Winthrop 76-64 in the first round and No. 12 seed Middle Tennessee 74-65 in the second round. Butler is the BIG EAST Conference regular-season runner-up, finishing second to Villanova. The Bulldogs were the only team to post two victories over the Villanova Wildcats, the 2016 NCAA champions, this season.
Kentucky (31-5, 16-2 SEC): The No. 2 seed Wildcats advanced to FedExForum with single-digit victories over No. 15 seed Northern Kentucky 79-70 in the opening round and No. 10 seed Wichita State 65-62 in the second round. Kentucky swept the Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular-season and tournaments titles. The Wildcats' NCAA South Region appearance marks the return of former Memphis head coach John Calipari, who guided the Tigers program from 2000-09, to the Bluff City and FedExForum.
North Carolina (29-7, 14-4 ACC): The No. 1 seed Tar Heels reached the NCAA South Region semifinal round with victories over No. 16 seed Texas Southern 103-64 in the first round and No. 8 seed Arkansas 72-65 in the Round of 32. North Carolina won the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) regular-season title for the second year in a row and the eighth time under head coach Roy Williams. The Tar Heels last won the NCAA title when they went through the NCAA South Regional at FedExForum in 2009.
UCLA (31-4, 15-3 PAC-12): The No. 3 seed Bruins advanced to the NCAA South Region with wins over No. 14 seed Kent State 97-80 in the first round and No. 6 seed Cincinnati 79-67 in the second round. UCLA placed third in the Pac-12 Conference regular-season standings. The Bruins are making a return trip to FedExForum in NCAA Men's Basketball Championship play. UCLA was an NCAA South Region semifinalist in 2014.
Starting at 12 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, fans can watch the free-of-charge, open practices for the four NCAA South Region participants – Butler, Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA. Parking in FedExForum's Toyota Parking Garage (attached to the arena) also is free for Thursday's open practices. The South Region open-practice schedule is as follows (all times Central):
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| 12-12:50 p.m. | Butler (No. 4 seed) |
| 1-1:50 p.m. | UCLA (No. 3 seed) |
| 2-2:50 p.m. | North Carolina (No. 1 seed) |
| 3-3:50 p.m. | Kentucky (No. 2 seed) |
The 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship comes to FedExForum Mar. 24-26, with the South Region semifinals Friday, Mar. 24 and the regional championship game Sunday, Mar. 26. A limited number of single-session tickets still are available via Ticketmaster.com or FedExForum's box office.
The NCAA South Region is this tournament's lone one in which all four top seeds advanced to the regional semifinal round at FedExForum. No. 1 seed North Carolina meets No. 4 seed Butler, and No. 2 seed Kentucky faces No. 3 seed UCLA.
Times for Friday's NCAA South Regional semifinal games are set. The North Carolina-Butler game tips at 6:09 p.m. (CT), with the Kentucky-UCLA match-up to follow after the conclusion of the Tar Heels-Bulldogs contest. CBS is televising both NCAA South Region semifinal games.
The regional championship final's game time will be determined after Friday's semifinal contests.
It is the second time all four top seeds advanced to FedExForum for an NCAA regional, as the same occurred in 2009. In that 2009 regional, No. 1 North Carolina defeated No. 4 seed Gonzaga, and No. 2 seed Oklahoma beat No. 3 seed Syracuse. The Tar Heels defeated Oklahoma to move on to the NCAA Final Four.
This is the third time since 2009 FedExForum is hosting an NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Regional. In 2009, North Carolina won the NCAA South Region title at FedExForum on its way to the NCAA championship crown. In 2014, Florida defeated Dayton to earn the Gators a trip to the NCAA Final Four.
Below is a quick look at the four NCAA South Region participants:
Butler (25-8, 12-6 BIG EAST): The No. 4 seed Bulldogs advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with wins over No. 13 seed Winthrop 76-64 in the first round and No. 12 seed Middle Tennessee 74-65 in the second round. Butler is the BIG EAST Conference regular-season runner-up, finishing second to Villanova. The Bulldogs were the only team to post two victories over the Villanova Wildcats, the 2016 NCAA champions, this season.
Kentucky (31-5, 16-2 SEC): The No. 2 seed Wildcats advanced to FedExForum with single-digit victories over No. 15 seed Northern Kentucky 79-70 in the opening round and No. 10 seed Wichita State 65-62 in the second round. Kentucky swept the Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular-season and tournaments titles. The Wildcats' NCAA South Region appearance marks the return of former Memphis head coach John Calipari, who guided the Tigers program from 2000-09, to the Bluff City and FedExForum.
North Carolina (29-7, 14-4 ACC): The No. 1 seed Tar Heels reached the NCAA South Region semifinal round with victories over No. 16 seed Texas Southern 103-64 in the first round and No. 8 seed Arkansas 72-65 in the Round of 32. North Carolina won the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) regular-season title for the second year in a row and the eighth time under head coach Roy Williams. The Tar Heels last won the NCAA title when they went through the NCAA South Regional at FedExForum in 2009.
UCLA (31-4, 15-3 PAC-12): The No. 3 seed Bruins advanced to the NCAA South Region with wins over No. 14 seed Kent State 97-80 in the first round and No. 6 seed Cincinnati 79-67 in the second round. UCLA placed third in the Pac-12 Conference regular-season standings. The Bruins are making a return trip to FedExForum in NCAA Men's Basketball Championship play. UCLA was an NCAA South Region semifinalist in 2014.
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