Anticipation is mounting this weekend for the NCAA Final Four. On Saturday, Villanova will face off against Kansas, and then bitter rivals North Carolina and Duke battle for a chance at a national title. These matchups are just a culmination of a bunch of events happening across the city in celebration of the Final Four. I've always been a big fan of the NCAA tournament, so I was very happy to talk with Craig Robinson, Executive Director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, about the special events happening around town.
I didn’t know college basketball has an All-Star Game. Tell us about that.
Yes, the Reese’s College All-Star Game has been going on for years now. The event is free and takes place Friday at 3:30pm at the Caesars Superdome. Before the game, fans can even see the Final Four teams practice. You get a chance to see some really talented college players from major and mid-major conferences. Also there’s an all-star autograph session at the Dome at one o’clock on Friday. Again, all these events are free and open to the public!
The NABC has partnered with Operation Homefront to provide military families with unique experiences at the All-Star Game.
We've done this for a while, and it's one of those partnerships that’s great for all parties involved. It’s great for our players and coaches to get an understanding and get their community service lives going. We hope to continue the partnership well into the future.
The matchups for the Final Four are epic. You couldn't choreograph this much better.
Especially coming off of not having fans for the event last year and the shutdowns from COVID, to be able to reemerge this kind of event in this city, with these teams, it is a perfect recipe for one of the best weekends ever in college basketball!
