Women’s basketball fans from all over will be coming to Minneapolis for the Final Four and National Championship games this weekend. Fans might be wondering how to spend their time outside of the games themselves. The NCAA is putting on a ton of events throughout the weekend to keep any fan busy with all things basketball.
Friday welcomes the start of the main event, with both Final Four games that evening, South Carolina vs Louisville followed by UConn vs Stanford. The Official Fan Festival, ‘Women’s Final Four Tourney Town’, starts at 9 AM and is open every day through Sunday. The free festival will have lots of events going on such as mascot appearances, battle of the bands, photo opportunities, basketball contests, and more.
‘Party on the Plaza’ starts on Friday as well and goes through Sunday. The party celebrates the teams themselves. It is the place to go to see your team arrive at Target Center for the games. If someone happens to still have some time on their hands, a series of professional development panels, called ‘Beyond the Baseline’, will be taking place Friday through Sunday. The panels touch on many different subjects, such as Title IX and how sports can help heal a community.
Several new and exciting events make their debut on Saturday, starting off with an open practice from the USA Women’s National Team. The open practice will take place in ‘Tourney Town’ at 10 AM. Players expected to be at the practice are Angel McCoughtry, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Ariel Atkins, and more. Another open practice will be happening at 1 PM, with the two remaining teams in the tournament at Target Center. Both are a great opportunity to see your favorite players, up close and personal, before the big game. The day ends with a bang – a free concert at the Minneapolis Convention Center with singer-songwriter, Rachel Platten, at 6 PM.
Sunday will be all about the big game, the one that determines the 2022 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Champion. All the free events will still be going on all day, before the game, and gives fans one last chance to see the excitement in downtown Minneapolis. The events above are just the tip of the iceberg on what the tournament and the city have to offer. The weekend will be one for the history books and filled with great basketball.
