ACC and SEC Are Most Expensive 2019 College Basketball Conference Tournament Tickets

With an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line, demand for the biggest NCAA basketball conference championships is strong. Both the ACC and SEC have three Top 10 teams playing in the conference tournaments, and as such, those two tournaments have the highest average asking prices. In fact, the ACC semifinal, set for March 15, is the priciest of any of the major semifinals, and could well pit No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 5 Duke.

As teams play for that automatic bid – and higher seed – to March Madness, all teams will learn their fate on Selection Sunday, March 17, when the slate of 68 teams will be announced. The NCAA Tournament tips off with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio on March 19-20 and wraps up in Minneapolis with the Final Four, April 6-8.

Below is a look at the six major conference tournaments, most of which tip off on March 13 and wrap up on Selection Sunday. The tournaments are listed from most expensive average session price to least expensive.

ACC Basketball Tournament - Charlotte

The most expensive conference tournament on average, the ACC Tournament features three of the nation’s Top 10 teams – No. 2 Virginia, No. 3 North Carolina and No. 5 Duke. The conference semifinals, which are set for March 15, are the priciest ticket for any single session across all conference tournaments. Demand has driven prices on the secondary market to an average asking price of $772, with a get-in price of $155. The championship game is trending at $392. The cheapest sessions for this tournament are to the opening rounds, on March 13, both of which have a get-in price of $5. Not only is this year's ACC tournament the most expensive college basketball conference tournament of the year, it's the most expensive ACC tournament we've ever tracked. 

• Tournament Average Price: $269
• All Sessions - Avg: $1,408 | Get-In: $410
• Session 1 - Avg: $16 | Get-in: $5
• Session 2 - Avg: $28 | Get-in: $5
• Session 3 - Avg: $71 | Get-in: $10
• Session 4 - Avg: $337 | Get-in: $125
• Session 5 - Avg: $772 | Get-in: $155
• Session 6 - Avg: $392 | Get-in: $107

SEC Basketball Tournament - Nashville

The second priciest of all the conference tournaments, the SEC Tournament also features three of the nation’s Top 10 teams – No. 4 Kentucky, No. 8 Tennessee and No. 9 LSU, who are the top seed in the conference tournament. The most priciest session of the tournament of the secondary market is Session 6, wich is the semifinals. The average asking price for the March 16 session is $508, and the get-in price is $182. The next most expensive session is the March 15 quarterfinal session, which has an average asking price of $363. The conference final is trending at $361. The cheapest tickets are for Sessions 1 and 2, which have average asking prices of $22 and $24, respectively. Kentucky has won the last four SEC tournaments.

• Tournament Average Price: $2336
• All Sessions - Avg: $602 | Get-in: $450
• Session 1 - Avg: $22 | Get-in: $6
• Session 2 - Avg: $24 | Get-in: $4
• Session 3 - Avg: $246 | Get-in: $6
• Session 4 - Avg: $73 | Get-in: $16
• Session 5 - Avg: $363 | Get-in: $169
• Session 6 - Avg: $508 | Get-in: $182
• Session 7 - Avg: $361 | Get-in: $103

Big East Basketball Tournament - New York

No. 23 Marquette and No. 25 Villanova are both among the NCAA’s Top 25 entering the tournament, and the defending national champion Wildcats are seeded No. 1 in the conference tournament. Marquette has the No. 2 seed. The $214 average is the third highest on the secondary market, and the priciest session is the night session on March 14, which features Marquette. Session 3 has an average asking price of $262 on the secondary market and a get-in price of $82. The cheapest session is the March 13 first round, which has a get-in price of $37. The next most expensive session the conference semifinals on March 15, which are trending at $255 and a $61 get-in price.

• Tournament Average Price: $200
• All Sessions - Avg: $709 | Get-in: $244
• Session 1 - Avg: $166 | Get-in: $37
• Session 2 - Avg: $180 | Get-in: $33
• Session 3 - Avg: $262 | Get-in: $82
• Session 4 - Avg: $255 | Get-in: $61
• Session 5 - Avg: $208 | Get-in: $51

Big 12 Basketball Tournament - Kansas City

The  No. 1 seed in the tournament is Texas Tech, which is ranked No. 7 in the NCAA Top 25. Texas Tech has never won the conference tournament since is began in 1997. The Big 12 Tournament is third cheapest among all conference championship, and on the secondary market, the priciest session is the semifinals, set for March 15. That session has an average asking price of $246 and a get-in price of $65. Session 4 is the only session of the tournament with an average asking price above $200. The cheapest session is the March 13 first round, which is trending at a $22 average and has a $4 get-in price.

• Tournament Average Price: $150
• All Sessions - Avg: $401 | Get-in: $230
• Session 1 - Avg: $22 | Get-in: $4
• Session 2 - Avg: $162 | Get-in: $95
• Session 3 - Avg: $142 | Get-in: $59
• Session 4 - Avg: $246 | Get-in: $98
• Session 5 - Avg: $196 | Get-in: $64

Big Ten Basketball Tournament - Chicago

With two teams among the Top 10 in the nation, No. 6 Michigan State and No. 10 Michigan, it’s a bit of a surprise that the Big Ten Tournament is the second cheapest of the major conference championships. MSU is seeded No. 1 in the tournament, and 2017-18 runner-up Michigan is the No. 3 seed. Purdue, which is ranked No. 13, is the 2-seed. The Big Ten has the cheapest session across all major tournaments – the March 13 first round early session has an average asking price on the secondary market of $7 and a get-in price of $1. Two other sessions also have get-in prices of $1. The priciest ticket for the Big Ten Tournament is the Session 6 semifinals, which are trending at $246 on the secondary market. The tournament finals have a current average asking price of $149.

• Tournament Average Price: $90
• All Sessions - Avg: $358 | Get-in: $314
• Session 1 - Avg: $7 | Get-in: $1
• Session 2 - Avg: $8 | Get-in: $1
• Session 3 - Avg: $18 | Get-in: $1
• Session 4 - Avg: $181 | Get-in: $24
• Session 5 - Avg: $128 | Get-in: $63
• Session 6 - Avg: $246 | Get-in: $73
• Session 7- Avg: $149 | Get-in: $49

PAC 12 Basketball Tournament - Las Vegas

The cheapest of all of the major conference tournaments, the Pac-12 has no teams in the Top 25, and half of the Pac-12 teams had losing conference records in 2018-19.  The Pac-12 semifinals are the cheapest on the secondary market for any major conference semifinal. Session 5, set for March 15, has a current average asking price of $137 and a get-in price of $50. The conference final, which is trending at $111, is the second most expensive session of the tournament, and the March 13 early first-round session is the cheapest, at $32. Washington won the regular season, and last won the tournament in 2010-11. Arizona is the two-time defending conference tournament champion.

• Tournament Average Price: $67
• All Sessions - Avg: $624 | Get-in: $343
• Session 1 - Avg: $32 | Get-in: $6
• Session 2 - Avg: $58 | Get-in: $11
• Session 3 - Avg: $63 | Get-in: $30
• Session 4 - Avg: $61 | Get-in: $35
• Session 5 - Avg: $137 | Get-in: $39
• Session 6 - Avg: $111| Get-in: $8