It may come to a surprise to many that Houston is the location for this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four. Texas is often much more noted for its football tradition.

Not to mention, travel to Houston often gets overshadowed by other Texas cities like San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas. However, whether you’re going to the games itself or not, there’s still plenty of action taking place the weekend of the finals that make for an entertaining weekend.

If you haven’t gotten tickets yet for the Final Four, but are still thinking about it, there’s still a small chance to buy them, although you can expect to be paying a lot more money.

Your best bet is to try a reputable website, such as StubHub, where you may be able to get tickets for a couple hundred dollars. Your last chance will be on the day of the games, when some people will be selling tickets outside of Reliant Stadium.

If you don’t have tickets for the games, you can still catch your favorite team in action without going to the games themselves. In the days leading up to the Final Four, each team will have practices that are open to the public.

This is a great opportunity to see players and coaches in a more light-hearted setting. You may even be able to get a photo with your favorite sports personality, since many of them often attend the practice sessions.

Another alternative to the Final Four are a couple other college basketball competitions that are taking place that weekend. The College All-Star game takes place on Friday, April 1st at 4:30 at Reliant Stadium and features many of the best college players from around the country, whose teams didn’t make it to the Final Four.

Best of all, this event is free. On Thursday, March 31st, at the University of Houston, college basketball’s best athletes will be competing in the slam dunk and 3-point championships, which are often the most exciting competitions of the weekend.

The highlight of the Final Four is often the entertainment and activities that are taking place throughout the weekend in between games. This includes the main event, the Big Dance, which is three days of concerts, food and drinks, and entertainment.

Bands playing during the three days include Kings of Leon, Kenny Chesney, and Sublime. During these same dates is Bracket Town, which takes place at the convention center and includes free clinics, games, and autograph and photo sessions.