The 2016 NCAA Tournament is officially underway. Countless storylines will take center stage across the nation over the next three weeks, from the top-seeded school in the country Kansas playing in its record-tying 27th consecutive tournament to the international appeal of foreign players in Utah's Jakob Poeltl, Oklahoma's Buddy Hield and Iowa's Peter Jok. 14 venues will serve as hosting sites to this year's tournament, and many ticket deals exist on the secondary market for those planning to attend an upcoming session.
According to ticket aggregator TiqIQ, who has published a definitive buying guide for 2016 NCAA Tournament tickets, Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa is generating the most demand through the first two rounds of play. The average resale price for an All Sessions Pass, which honors all first and second round games at Wells Fargo Arena, is now $1,959.93. The cheapest pass is currently listed for $630. Such high price points are unsurprising, as big-name teams like Kansas and Kentucky start their road to the National Championship in the Hawkeye State.
Other venues set to welcome top-priced sessions through rounds one and two include Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado and Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Utah, Iowa State and Purdue will all descend upon Denver through the weekend, and the average price for an All Sessions Pass at Pepsi Center is $1,053.82. The get-in price for a pass is $575. Hoping to watch Duke and Baylor in Rhode Island? An All Sessions Pass at Dunkin Donuts Center is currently averaging $805.92 with the cheapest listed for $460.
Of course, not all venues will post such exorbitant prices through the weekend. Scottrade Center in St. Louis and Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City are experiencing the lowest demand in terms of average ticket price during the first two rounds. An All Sessions Pass at Scottrade Center currently owns a secondary market average of $491.81 and a get-in price of just $181. That easily serves as the biggest ticket deal of the tournament as Michigan State, Xavier and last year's runner-up Wisconsin all set to play there through Sunday. Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Texas will each play in Oklahoma City, where All-Sessions Passes average $517.65 and the cheapest starts from $215.
If planning a trip to Houston for the Final Four and National Championship early next month, expect to pay up for tickets if going through resale outlets. As it stands now, an All Sessions Pass to the Final Four, which honors access to both games at NRG Stadium on April 2, is averaging $1,052.43 on the secondary market. That makes it the second most expensive Final Four since at least 2011, when TiqIQ began tracking secondary market data. Last year's affair at Lucas Oil Stadium served as the most expensive Final Four ever recorded with All Sessions Passes averaging $1,108.95. The cheapest tickets to this year's games in Houston are now $225.
Record resale prices will be on the ledger for the National Championship two days later. The average price for tickets to this year's title game is now $909.93 on TiqIQ, up 19.5 percent from last year's record-setting average of $761.34. Tickets start from $175.
