What Would It Cost For Two Michigan Fans To Follow Their Team To The Final Four?
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
It'd be quite the leap of faith.
But if two Michigan fans were convinced that the Wolverines are destined for the Final Four, they could book their journey today. Just what would it cost them?
The blog Gametime crunched the numbers:
"The premise here is a fan is living in the general metro area of the school that would be coming from that location rather than a displaced fan living in another market. The associated costs are based on travel, tickets to each potential session and accommodations for two people."
Michigan's journey to the Final Four would go from Indianapolis (Rounds 1 and 2) to Kansas City (Rounds 3 and 4) to Glendale (semifinals and championship). Working off "the best available pricing for tickets, accommodations and airfare without taking in special preferences for seating, departure/arrival times or quality of the accommodations," two local Michigan fans could follow the Wolverines' path to glory for the tidy cost of...
...
$5,380.
Hey -- take Michigan at 25/1 odds to win the whole thing, and the trip will pay for itself.
According to Gametime, fans of St. Mary's would have the cheapest journey to the Final Four, at an estimated cost of $4,708.
"Should (St. Mary's) advance to the San Jose regional site, that would only require its fans to drive to the venue on game days with no accommodations needed, one of the rare occasions this occurs in all the NCAA tournament field. Flights to Phoenix are also inexpensive from the Bay Area making a potential journey to a championship the most affordable of any team in the field."
Affordable? Sure. Probable? Not quite. If the Gaels wins their opening round game versus VCU, they'll likely run into juggernaut Arizona in Round 2.
The priciest journey to the Final Four would fall at the feet of Oregon fans. Via Gametime, "The estimated costs for two people to watch the Ducks play six possible tournament games exceeds $7,200."