First look at March Madness court inside Lucas Oil Stadium INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Lucas Oil Stadium will be the place to be on Friday and Sunday nights when basketball begins at the home of the Colts. Tuesday, the floor that Kentucky, Tennessee, Houston and Purdue will play on was installed bef ore the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games this weekend. It will be the first time college basketball is played inside Lucas Oil Stadium since the COVID bubble in 2021. The stadium will be fully ready to go by 5 p.m. Wednesday before all four teams use the court to practice Thursday. “I love this event,” said Eric Neuburger, stadium director at Lucas Oil Stadium. “To have all these people, this draw here in this stadium in Indianapolis this weekend, we’re very excited.” “The downtown will be teeming with college basketball fans coming from all over,” said Patrick Talty, president of Indiana Sports Corp. “The nice thing about Indianapolis is, we’re in driving distance from all these fanbases.” Especially Purdue, which is just over an hour away. “This is a hot ticket right now,” Talty said. “Everyone wants to be here, to not only see the Boilermakers but Tennessee and Kentucky.” “We’re expecting to push our capacity,” Neuburger said. “We think there’s going to be around 35,000 people here and join the festivities.” The court will be raised above Lucas Oil Stadium’s normal playing surface. Those extra few feet will help the sightlines, so no matter where fans are sitting in the football stadium, they have a great view of the basketball that’s happening on the court. “I’m so excited to have the energy of the NCAA Tournament in Lucas Oil Stadium,” Neuburger said. “Last time, we had cardboard cutouts. I still have mine in my office that I can look at to remind me of that, but I’m really glad to have the whole crew, the whole building full of excited, rabid fans ready to cheer on their teams.” “We’re hosting the Final Four next year here in 2026, so we’ll be on the clock very soon,” Talty said. “This is always exciting to get a chance in Lucas Oil the year before the Final Four.” “We do get to flex all our muscles to put on this event for the regional,” Neuburger said. “It’s a perfect opportunity for us to get ready for the very big show next year in 2026.” But first, Houston, Purdue, Tennessee and Kentucky fight for a spot in this year’s Final Four. Games start Friday at 7:39 p.m. Eastern as the 3-seed Wildcats face their rivals – the 2-seed Volunteers – for a spot in the Elite Eight. First look at March Madness court inside Lucas Oil Stadium <p>The floor for the NCAA men’s basketball Midwest Regional is installed March 25, 2025, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (WISH Photo/Angela Moryan)</p> 1 / 7 1 / 7 ...read more read less