The Final Four is set as the last quartet of teams remaining will come from varying distances and locations across the country. As all the teams flock toward the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, one team in the Nebraska Cornhuskers should have a traveling advantage – both in terms of trip and fan attendance.
It’s not as if the NCAA had a crystal ball and could have predicted that Nebraska would make it in 2017 when they announced the Final Four years ago, so give credit the Cornhuskers for making it possible. With that being said, take a look at each of the four National Semifinalists distance traveled as the clear advantage for Nebraska can be seen.
#1 Penn State Nittany Lions:
Distance between University Park, PA and Kansas City, MO per Google Maps: Just under 1,000 miles
- Drive Time: A bit under 15 hours
- Fly Time: Just over 4 hours
#2 Florida Gators:
Distance between Gainesville, FL and Kansas City, MO per Google Maps: Around 1,150 miles
- Drive Time: 16-17 hours
- Fly Time: A little over 4 hours
#3 Stanford Cardinal:
Distance between Stanford, CA and Kansas City, MO per Google Maps: Just under 1,850 miles
- Drive Time: 27 hours
- Fly Time: (From San Francisco) 3.5 hours
#4 Nebraska Cornhuskers:
Distance between Lincoln, NE and Kansas City, MO per Google Maps: Around 200 miles
- Drive Time: A bit over 3 hours
- Fly Time: N/A
The travel time itself won’t be a big deal, as even though Lincoln is extremely closer, their drive time is similar to the flying time of the other schools. More importantly though is the ability to fans to just make a drive down for the weekend and give Big Red a home court advantage similar to the 2015 Final Four when Nebraska fans painted Omaha red.
It’s a testament to Nebraska fans regardless though, as they would travel no matter where the team plays. In fact, they led the country in home attendance in 2017. The fact that it’s in Kansas City means it probably would be a sea of red even if other participants were closer to the site. Maybe it’s a bit fitting though after Nebraska was surprisingly edged out by Kentucky for a top four seed to host in the Regionals, as the Cornhuskers will be looking to use that big crowd to down Penn State come Thursday night.
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