March Madness: What Michigan, Michigan State fans must know about Des Moines - Detroit Free Press

Kirkland Crawford Detroit Free Press

Published 1:00 PM EDT Mar 18, 2019

Both the Michigan State basketball and Michigan basketball teams are headed to Des Moines, Iowa, to open the 2019 NCAA tournament.

The Spartans, the No. 2 seed in the East Region, will play No. 15 seed Bradley at about 2:45 p.m. Thursday on CBS. Then at around 9:20 that night on TNT, the Wolverines, seeded second in the West Region, will play No. 15 seed Montana in a rematch of last season's tournament opener.

So if you're busy booking flights to Iowa for the first- (and potentially second-)round games, here's what you need to know about Des Moines and the surrounding area.

More: NCAA tournament bracket cheat sheet: Everything you need to win

While tickets will likely be scarce through both the U-M and MSU allotments, there is a way to get into the Wells Fargo Arena for Thursday and Saturday:

• Tickets to NCAA tournament games in Des Moines

Here's some help if you're looking for somewhere to eat or drink before, during or after the games:

• Restaurants, bars in Des Moines

And sure, you won't go to just the basketball games while you're there. But what do you do if you're in Des Moines? We've got your back there, too:

• Places to go, things to do in Des Moines

Contact Kirkland Crawford: kcrawford@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @HiKirkHere.

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https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/2019/03/18/ncaa-tournament-des-moines-michigan-michigan-state/3202487002/

2019-03-18 17:32:00Z
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