March 17, 2013

NCAA Tournament Central - Austin | NCAA Tournament Interactive Bracket | NCAA Tournament Printable Bracket | Tickets

The eight teams that will play later this week in NCAA Men's Basketball second and third round games at the Frank Erwin Center were announced Sunday evening.

No. 2 seed Miami (27-6) will face No. 15 Pacific (22-12) at 1:10 Central Friday during second-round action in the East Regional. No. 7 Illinois (22-12) will take on No. 10 Colorado (21-11) 30 minutes after the conclusion of Miami-Pacific. The winners of those two games will play on Sunday for a trip to the Sweet Sixteen in Washington.

Also on Friday, in games from the South Regional, third-seeded Florida (26-7) will play No. 14 Northwestern State (23-8) at 6:27 p.m. The final game of the day, featuring No. 6 UCLA (25-9) and No. 11 Minnesota (20-12), will tip off 30 minutes after the conclusion of Florida-Northwestern State. The winners of those two contests will meet on Sunday for a berth in the NCAA Regional in Arlington, Texas.

Tipoff times for Sunday's third-round games will be announced after the second round.

Tickets: All-session tickets are on sale and priced at $180 and $225. Four games will be played on Friday and two on Sunday. Tickets are can be purchased online by clicking here. Fans may also call (800) 982-BEVO or (512) 471-3333.

Thursday's Open Practices: All of the eight team practices scheduled for Thursday in the Erwin Center will be open to the public. The first practice will begin at noon and each will last 40 minutes. Doors to the Erwin Center will open at 11 a.m.

Parking: To avoid possible ticketing or towing of your vehicle, be sure to read all signs carefully and park in the appropriate parking areas. Please note, public parking is only available in UT parking lots when a cashier is present. Please refrain from parking in the neighborhoods east of I-35.

Click and Park: Fans may purchase parking permits online in advance for select events. By purchasing online, fans reserve a space at a discounted rate and receive their parking pass electronically. Visit the UT Parking and Transportation website to purchase parking permits.

Team Notes: All eight teams have won 20 or more games and five either won their conference regular-season title and/or league tournament crown. Miami won the both the ACC regular-season crown (15-3 mark) and tournament title, Florida captured the SEC with a 14-4 regular-season record, and UCLA was first during the regular season in the Pac-12 with a 13-5 mark. Northwestern State (15-3 in Southland) and Pacific (13-5 in Big West) both finished second in their conference and won the tournament title.

Last time in Austin: The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament was last played in Austin in 2005. That South Regional included top-seed Duke, which was knocked off by No. 5 seed Michigan State, 78-68, and second-seeded Kentucky, which defeated No. 6 seed Utah, 62-52. Michigan State downed Kentucky, 94-88, in the regional final to earn a trip to the Final Four in St. Louis.