The NCAA will bring "two additional college basketball national championship games to Atlanta during Final Four weekend next year," according to Tim Tucker of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. The D-II and D-III men’s championship games will be played at State Farm Arena on April 5, 2020, the "day between Final Four games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium." This will mark just the second time the championship games in all three divisions will be played in the same city. The first time was at the '13 Final Four, also in Atlanta. NCAA Senior VP/Basketball Dan Gavitt said that admission "'likely' will be free" for the D-II and D-III title games next year, as it was in '13 when the back-to-back games "drew about 14,000 fans to what was then called Philips Arena." Starting times have not been set, but Gavitt said that they "will be in the afternoon hours" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 4/25).
NEW TREND: In Ft. Worth, Brian Gosset notes the '23 Women's Final Four will feature "combined championship events" at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The '23 D-I Final Four games will be played March 31 and April 2, with the D-II and D-III championship games played April 1 (Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM, 4/25).
