Thinking about going to UK’s Sweet 16 game against Tennessee Friday? It won’t be cheap
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Preview: Kentucky vs. Tennessee in NCAA Tournament
Click below to read more coverage from the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com ahead of Kentucky’s men’s NCAA Tournament game against Tennessee in Indianapolis on Friday.
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Looking to experience Kentucky men’s basketball’s first Sweet 16 game since 2019 in person? It’s going to cost you at least a few hundred dollars.
The game between UK and fellow SEC rival Tennessee is scheduled to tip off at 7:39 p.m. Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The cheapest tickets for the game are located in the 600-level of the massive stadium and cost $200 plus fees.
Ticket prices only get more expensive the closer you get to the court, costing as low as $585 plus fees in the 100 level. Floor seats behind the team’s benches are at least $850 plus fees.
Tickets can be purchased on ticketmaster.com. The ticket is a session pass and includes admission to the other regional semifinal game between one-seed Houston and four-seed Purdue.
Tickets are already available for Sunday’s Elite Eight game for as low as $150 plus fees for a 400-level seat.
While tickets may seem expensive, some of the other Sweet 16/Elite Eight sites are charging more for admission. The cheapest ticket for the East Regional semifinals at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., is $280 plus fees, while the cheapest ticket for the South Regional semifinals at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga., costs $560 plus fees.
Lucas Oil Stadium workers are subbing out the football field for a basketball court for the weekend’s NCAA Tournament games. The stadium was most recently used for March Madness games during the Final Four in 2021.
Stadium director Eric Neubuger told Angela Moryan of WISH-TV News in Indianapolis that arena officials are expecting a near sellout of around 35,000 fans.
“This is a hot ticket right now,” said Patrick Talty, the president of Indiana Sports Corp. “Everyone wants to be here to not only see the Boilermakers but to see Tennessee and Kentucky.”
The game will be the third time UK and Tennessee have faced off this season. UK first beat the Vols in Knoxville 78-73 in late January before winning again 75-64 in Rupp Arena two weeks later.
The Cats are coming off a 19-point victory over 14-seed Troy and a nine-point win over 6-seed Illinois in the first and second rounds of the tournament. The Vols beat 15-seed Wofford by 19 points in the first round before defeating UCLA by nine points in the second
The Kentucky-Tennessee game is the only Sweet 16 matchup between two schools that each won their first- and second-round games by nine or more points.
This story was originally published March 26, 2025 at 10:42 AM.
