April 6, 2009: An NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament record crowd of 72,922 attends the championship game of the Men’s Final Four at Ford Field in Detroit. North Carolina defeats Michigan State 89-72 to win the national championship. The attendance for the national semifinals two days earlier was 72,456. April 6, 2009 21
Aug. 27, 2007: The NCAA Executive Committee approves a new seating configuration that will increase capacity to about 70,000 at the Men’s Final Four beginning in 2009, creating sections that will put thousands of students courtside for the national championship. The Executive Committee authorized the purchase of temporary seating to be transported and installed at all Final Four sites. August 27, 2007 18
Feb. 4, 2004: The NCAA announces an agreement with the Indiana Sports Corp. making Indianapolis the permanent “backup site” for the Men’s and Women’s Final Fours in case of an emergency that requires those events to be relocated. The agreement also ensures that the city frequently will host the Association’s high-profile championships and its Convention. February 4, 2004 17
March 28, 1992: In what is often called “the greatest game,” Duke’s Christian Laettner hits a buzzer-beating 17-foot jump shot after a length-of-the-court inbounds pass from Grant Hill in overtime of the 1992 East Regional final to defeat Kentucky and advance to the Men’s Final Four. Duke, the defending national champion, went on to win a second straight Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. March 28, 1992 20
