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From free activities to ticket prices to just trying to navigate around the crowds, here's what you need to know as Minneapolis hosts the Final Four.

Minneapolis gets ready to go courtside at Final Four

NCAA basketball champ gets dibs

: Free events along Nicollet Mall Friday through Monday. Concerts on the Main Stage at 11th Street. Twin Cities band The Belladivas headline Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Fitz and the Tantrums Monday at 6 p.m. 

: The Chainsmokers headline Friday, the Jonas Brothers Saturday and Katy Perry on Sunday. Fans were asked to preregister for passes for the Armory concerts and all passes are now gone. 

: See the four teams practice at U.S. Bank Stadium, starting with Auburn at 11 a.m., Virginia at noon, Texas Tech at 1 p.m. and Michigan State at 2 p.m. 

Free for kids 12 and under and Capitol One cardholders; otherwise $10.

: Interactive games, celebrity and athlete appearances, autograph signings. 

In college sports, spelling doesn't count

 for many of these events as well as for each of the games. That means you should leave your backpack, fanny pack and purse at home. If you need to carry something, don't worry, free clear bags will be available 

: On Saturday — No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 5 Auburn at 5:09 p.m., No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 3 Texas Tech at 7:49 p.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium. 

: Semifinal winners play Monday at 8 p.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium.

You can still talk March Madness

Hundreds of tickets are available on a variety of secondary market sites, where prices fluctuate. On Wednesday afternoon, a pair of semifinal seats in the upper deck was available for $105 apiece on one site. But the next cheapest seats were nearly three times more expensive.  

The NCAA partners with the PRIMESPORT ticket exchange

If you don't have a ticket, you can watch the semifinals on CBS. You can look up your local channels 

There are also several streaming options if you don't have an antenna including the 

, which can be downloaded on your phone or on a TV-based tool like Roku, Playstation Vue or the Amazon Fire TV Stick. 

Or, for a fee, you can stream the games live via 

Roads around the stadium and Nicollet Mall 

 that includes daily detour details for those coping with the event.

Public safety officials are urging college basketball fans to use transit and ride-sharing services to get around the Twin Cities this Final Four weekend, and to avoid driving drunk.

"We have troopers who regularly work the night shift," Lt. Gordon Shank with the Minnesota State Patrol said. "In addition to that, we have extra DWI enforcement that troopers have signed up for that goes through the championship night."


Good luck trying to find a hotel room close to U.S. Bank Stadium. One popular hotel booking site shows nothing available in downtown Minneapolis Friday through Tuesday and the greater Twin Cities 82 percent booked. 

As of Wednesday afternoon, many suburban hotels and motels appeared to have only a handful of rooms available, with prices starting at a little over $100 a night.

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From free activities to ticket prices to just trying to navigate around the crowds -- here's what you need to know as Minneapolis hosts the Final Four.

Michigan State players warm up during a practice session.

Morry Gash | AP

Dawn Plank takes a selfie with her dad, Bill Dubisar.

Everything you need to know about the Final Four (even if you're not going to the games)

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