The NCAA on Monday morning unveiled the court design for the 2023 Men’s Final Four, which will take place at NRG Stadium in Houston on April 1 and 3.
At the center of the two-tone wood court is the Final Four logo, which features two orbiting rings and is inspired by the mission patches worn by astronauts at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
There are also four stars at the top of the logo as a nod to the four times that Houston has hosted the event, as well as the four teams that compete for the title, which is also represented by the semifinal bracket on the left.
The logo’s red, white, dark blue and light blue color palette is then carried over to the sidelines and baseline, which have a nebulous feel and are designed to create an illusion that the court is floating in space.
It’s worth noting neither the arrow pointing toward center court nor the sublimated hexagon will be seen on the court, as they are simply part of the NCAA’s social media graphic that explains the design.
The court, which is manufactured by Connor Sports, is complete with “Houston” and “The Road Ends Here” flanked by red and light blue hexagonal points on opposing sidelines and “NCAA Men’s Final Four” on the baselines.
The 2023 NCAA Tournament tips off on Tuesday with No. 16 seeds Southeast Missouri State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi meeting at the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on truTV.