Jim Nantz was skeptical of domed stadiums for the Final Four, but now embraces them

By ADAM ZAGORIA

Jim Nantz was skeptical when the Final Four first moved to domed stadiums from basketball arenas.

The last time the Final Four was not held in a domed stadium was 1996 when it was held at Continental Arena in New Jersey. Since 1997, it’s been domes all the way.

But Nantz has come to appreciate what a football stadium can do for the large number of fans who want to see the games.

“If you were down to a 17-18,000-seat arena, think of how many people are trying to get in just to see it,” Nantz, who will call the Final Four again for CBS/Turner, said Tuesday on a conference call. “They don’t care if they don’t have the greatest view in the world, they don’t care if they’re in the upper deck corner, they want to be able to say they went to the Final Four and we haven’t lost anything as far as ambiance. I really don’t believe so.”