How much will it cost TCU fans to get to Detroit for the NCAA Tournament?
Texas Christian University is going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years.
Now, TCU fans have to figure out how much they'll need to pay to make it to Detroit for the sixth-seeded Horned Frogs first-round game on Friday. TCU will take on the winner of Arizona State and Syracuse (which will be played at 8:10 p.m. on Wednesday) at 9:40 ET at Little Caesars Arena (a capacity of 20,000).
At present, the price of an upper-level seat ranges from $167 to $250 for the first-round game and $150 to $286 for the second-round game on StubHub.com. Prices for lower-level tickets range from $245 to $780 for the first-round game, and $215 to $975 for the second-round game.
The flight situation is a bit more complicated. A late-Friday start means that fans won't have to depart until Friday morning, or afternoon at the latest. But, the arena's website indicates that the tip-off for the second-round game could be on Sunday evening. So if you're planning on staying through the second-round, you won't be able to fly back to DFW until Monday.
The lowest-priced round-trip flights from DFW to Detroit that leave on Friday morning and return Monday are currently listed at $370 per ticket.
The lowest price for booking your hotel and and flight together through a site such as Expedia or Orbitz is around $600.
If you plan to drive up to Detroit, you'll likely need to start on Thursday to complete the nearly 18-hour trip. The upside is that if TCU loses its first-round game, you can return home without having to pay for extra nights at a hotel.
If the Frogs win, though, you will need to get on the road bright and early Monday morning to return to DFW before Tuesday. If your car gets 25-miles-to-the-gallon, you'll end up paying roughly $250-$300 in gas money for the nearly 2,500-mile, 36-hour round-trip. Depending on where you stay, you would also pay for driving to-and-from the games around Detroit.
The cost of 7 to 12 meals and concessions would also come in between $125-$175.
Assuming TCU advances to the second round, the bare-minimum travel costs for a TCU fan to either fly or drive would come in at roughly $1,200. But a more realistic number is probably around $1,400.
This story was originally published March 12, 2018 at 11:25 AM with the headline "How much will it cost TCU fans to get to Detroit for the NCAA Tournament?."