Wednesday, March 14 will be a great day to take a late lunch or skip out of work a little early and head over to INTRUST Bank Arena. It’s the day before the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship begins at Wichita’s downtown arena and that means it is NCAA Open Practice Day.

While tickets for the NCAA games in Wichita are limited, Open Practice Day is free and open to the public. It’s your first chance to get a dose of March Madness 2018 – take a look at the arena’s freshly installed NCAA hardwood, see your favorite teams and players take the court for the first time and purchase NCAA merchandise.

The eight teams selected to compete in Wichita will be announced on Sunday, March 11 and open practice times for each team will be revealed soon after. Practice sessions will run throughout the afternoon, with each team getting 40 minutes on the court. INTRUST Bank Arena doors open at 10 a.m. and practice sessions will run 11 a.m.-6:20 p.m.

Fans are permitted and encouraged to come and go throughout the day. Seating is general admission in the lower bowl and merchandise and concession stands will be open. The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a free commemorative rally towel. Additionally, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., fans can receive a free refillable NCAA souvenir cup with the purchase of an adult combo meal.

The open practice day kicks off a great four days of March Madness in Wichita. Four games will be played in Wichita on Thursday, March 15 followed by two games on Saturday, March 17. Thursday game times will be announced on Selection Sunday and Saturday game times will be announced at the conclusion of Thursday’s games.

For more blogs about things to down while in downtown Wichita, see below: 
Six spots to watch sports near Wichita's INTRUST Bank Arena
Where to shop when downtown at an INTRUST Bank Arena event
Five outdoor activities near INTRUST Bank Arena
Six indoor activities near INTRUST Bank Arena
History of NCAA and Wichita's connection
Where to eat when downtown at an INTRUST Bank Arena event
Free and nearly free activities within 10 minutes of INTRUST Bank Arena
Don't miss Fan Fest in downtown Wichita
What to do inside INTRUST Bank Arena

For the answers to all your NCAA Tournament questions, click here.