A basketball with the letters “NCAA” sits on a basketball court.
IBJ Photo
The NCAA Men’s Final Four won’t be the only college basketball action in Indianapolis in April 2026. The city will host every major men’s college basketball championship during the first week of that month.
The Indianapolis-based NCAA on Thursday announced plans to conduct both the Division II and Division III men’s basketball championship games and the semifinals and final of the National Invitational Tournament in the city, in conjunction with the 2026 Division I men’s Final Four.
All of the events will take place over the span of five days, with the Final Four and championship slated for Lucas Oil Stadium on April 4 and April 6. The Division II and III title games will be played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on April 5. The NIT semifinals will be played April 2 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the Butler University campus, while the title game will be played on April 5 at a location that’s still to be determined.
It will mark the single largest influx of college basketball in Indianapolis since the city, joined by Bloomington and West Lafayette, hosted the entire 2021 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament during the COVID pandemic.
This year, Hinkle Fieldhouse hosted the semifinals and final of the NIT, which drew sold-out crowds—in large part because of Indiana State University’s run to the championship game, which it lost to Seton Hall. The Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament also held its semifinals and championship at Hinkle this past season. Both events are backed by the NCAA.
In 2013, the NCAA hosted men’s basketball championships across all three divisions during Final Four weekend in Atlanta, albeit without the NIT in play. Indianapolis hosted all three women’s championships in 2016, while Dallas did the same in 2023.
“This will be a tremendous celebration of men’s college basketball across all three divisions in Indy,” said Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s senior vice president of basketball. “When we did this in 2013, we had nearly 8,000 fans watching the Division II and III championship games, and the final two nights of this year’s NIT at Hinkle Fieldhouse featured sold-out crowds of more than 9,000 fans. It will be an awesome opportunity for student-athletes at the participating schools, as well as a showcase for the legendary college basketball fans in Indiana.”
Indianapolis was selected to host the 2026 Men’s Final Four in July 2018, and in late 2022 was announced as host of both the 2028 Women’s Final Four and the 2029 Men’s Final Four.
The 2029 effort will mark the 10th time for Indianapolis hosting college basketball’s biggest event. Indianapolis first hosted the Final Four in 1980 and again in 1991, 1997, 2000, 2006, 2010 and 2015. It’s also hosted the women’s Final Four in 2005, 2011 and 2016.
This story is by Mickey Shuey.
