March Madness: NCAA Men's Tournament comes to Philadelphia

State of play: Xfinity Mobile Arena hosts four first-round games on Friday across two sessions and a pair of second-round games on Sunday.

🍿 1 free thing: Watch open team practices at the arena from 11am-4:55pm today, which will feature the University of Virginia and the University of Connecticut.

Between the lines: The tourney is poised to bring big crowds to the city — an estimated 60,000 visitors — that could boost restaurants, hotels and bars.

Context: This marks the 29th NCAA basketball tournament Philly has hosted.

• The last time it was here: 2022.

Friday: Round of 64

First session:

• 1:50pm tipoff: Wright State (14) vs. Virginia (3)
• 4:25pm: Miami (Ohio) (11) vs. University of Tennessee (6)
• Tickets: $50+ (as of Wednesday)

Second session

• 7:25pm: University of Central Florida (10) vs. UCLA (7)
• 10pm: Furman University (15) vs. UConn (2)
• Tickets: $48+

Sunday: Round of 32

• Times and matchups of the two games are TBD.
• Tickets: $145+

Plus: Tickets to access all the games start at $345+

• And premium packages — think: suites, lofts and "Club Loge" seating — run $690-$26,780.