March Madness Coming To Connecticut

HARTFORD—While the UConn men's basketball team may have experienced an off season this year, that doesn't mean the Nutmeg State will be missing any NCAA men's basketball action in March. The field of 68 teams bound for the NCAA Tournament was announced on Sunday, and eight of them will be headed to downtown Hartford as the XL Center will be a host site for first- and second-round play on March 21 and 23. The following teams will be appearing in Hartford, attempting to extend their seasons further into NCAA Regional play: Defending national champion Villanova, St. Mary's, Purdue, Old Dominion, Marquette, Murray State, Florida State and Vermont.

The first session of tournament play will include four games to be played on Thursday, March 21.

Please Note: The building will be cleared in between sessions.

First round winners will advance to the second rounds on Saturday, March 23, when two games will be played. Times for the second round of the tournament will be released following the conclusion of all first-round games.

There are limited all-session and single session ticket packages remaining. To purchase tickets, visit ncaa.com/mbbtickets. Limited Premium seating options are also available for the Tournament. For more information on how to purchases Club Seats and Executive Suites, call 860-722-9637 or email PremiumSeating@xlcenter.com.

Schedule and Times:

• First Round—Session 1: Thursday, March 21 

Game 1: 2 p.m., #4 Florida State vs. #13 Vermont 

Game 2: After conclusion of Game 1, #5 Marquette vs. #12 Murray State

• First Round—Session 2: Thursday, March 21 

Game 3: 7:20 p.m., #6 Villanova vs. #11 St. Mary's 

Game 4: After conclusion of Game 3, #3 Purdue vs. #14 Old Dominion

• Second Round—Session 3: Saturday, March 23 – Game times TBA

Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2

Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4

“This is an exciting time for the building, city of Hartford and the entire State of Connecticut,” said XL Center general manager Chris Lawrence. “This is one of the premier sporting events in our country and we have an opportunity to showcase ourselves as a premier entertainment destination. We’ve had some great events here in the past, but the excitement for this is unmatched. It should be a great four days.”

To see full 2019 NCAA full bracket please click here

Open Practice Day-Wednesday March 20, 2019

Each team will have a 40 minute practice slot throughout the day.  Doors will open at 10 am and practices will run from 11 am until 6:30 pm.

Schedule:

10:00 a.m.- Doors Open

11:00 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.-Vermont

11:45 a.m. – 12:25 p.m.- Murray State

12:30 p.m. – 1:10 p.m.- Florida State

1:15 p.m. – 1:55 p.m.-Marquette

3:25 p.m. – 4:05 p.m.- Villanova

4:10 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.- Purdue

4:55 p.m. – 5:35 p.m.- Saint Mary’s

5:40 p.m. – 6:20 p.m.- Old Dominion

There will be food and beverage combo specials running throughout the day as well as happy hour specials from 4-6 pm.  For more Open Practice info, visit XLCenter.com/OpenPractice.

This event is free and open to the public.

Parking Information:

There will be $10 parking throughout downtown Hartford in designated surface lots and garages during all March Madness festivities (March 20-23).  The following list of garages will feature $10 Tournament parking:

• 58 Chapel Street 
• 1212 Main Street
• 285 Church Street  
• 55 Chapel Street South (MAT Garage)
• 10 Ford Street
• 185 Pearl Street
• 160 Jewell Street
• Trumbull on the Park Garage

There will also be parking available at the XL Center Garage for $15.

Download the parking map by visiting xlcenter.com/ncaaparking

Public Transportation:

The Dash Shuttle, CTTransit's free circulatory bus in downtown Hartford, will operate with extended hours on Wednesday, March 20-Saturday, March 23.

DASH EXTENDED HOURS:

Wednesday, Mar. 20, 7 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Thursday, Mar. 21, 7 a.m. – 1 a.m.

Friday, Mar. 22, 7 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Mar. 23, 8:30 a.m. – 1 a.m

*There will also be an East Hartford Shuttle operating from Holiday Inn & Hampton Inn to the downtown Hartford/Convention Center area March 20-23. For more information and maps regarding public transportation visit xlcenter.com/dash.

Local Restaurant Deals:

Downtown Hartford is home to over 50 restaurants and bars of all cuisines for fans to enjoy.  Certain locations will be offering exclusive Tournament deals throughout the weekend.  For a full list of discounts visit XLCenter.com/deals

Party on Pratt:

There will be a free block party open to public featuring a pop up pub with local breweries & distilleries, live music, local vendors, and exhibits. All ages welcome! For more information visit xlcenter.com/prattstreet

Thursday, March 21: 2 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Friday, March 22: 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Saturday, March 23: 4 p.m.– 7 p.m.

For all Hartford March Madness information, visit xlcenter.com/marchmadness.

—Staff Reports