Welcome, college basketball players and fans from Arkansas, Arizona, Purdue, and Texas.
College basketball “March Madness” returns to San Jose this weekend. On March 26 and 28, the
NCAA West Regional Finals for Men’s College Basketball will take place. Semifinal games on March 26; regional final on March 26. All 3 games will take place at the SAP Center on W. Santa Clara St. in San Jose.
Here’s a quick guide I assembled on public transit options to and from these games, and
other supporting (un)official events that weekend. These transit options like Caltrain commuter rail and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) bus/light rail service help you beat traffic gridlock and parking woes at these events.
Table of Contents
March 26-28
From Thursday thru Saturday, San Pedro Square Market will host viewing parties for the games in San Jose, as well as other “March Madness” games held nationwide. Viewing hours are from noon-9pm and are FREE to the public.
Our transit guide to San Pedro Square shows you VTA bus and light rail options like the 522 Rapid and light rail. They are only a 5-10 minute walk away from San Pedro Square and the fun.
There is also the Hometown Heroes exhibit at San Jose City Hall on all three days. Our transit guide to San Jose City Hall shows you how VTA buses and light rail stop at or near San Jose City Hall.
Thursday, March 26
SAP Center will be busy on this day with
- Fan Fest starting at 12:30pm
- 1st West Semifinal tipoff (Texas – Purdue) at 4:10pm
- 2nd West Semifinal tipoff (Arkansas – Arizona) at 6:45pm (or 20 minutes after end of the first
semifinal) - Free Throw Projection Mapping Installation Outside SAP Center 7:30pm-10pm
Read our transit guide to SAP Center and San Jose Diridon Station. These guides show you local and regional bus and rail service to the events. They will help you beat traffic and parking woes expected for this day.
Friday, March 27
San Pedro Square will have a “pop-up” show featuring DJ Diesel (aka Shaquille O’Neil) & DJ Whethan. The show will run from 4pm-9pm. Read our transit guide to San Pedro Square on how to get there while beating traffic and parking woes.
Also that night, a drone show celebrating basketball will take place at Discovery Meadow in downtown San Jose. Our transit guide to the area shows you how you can beat traffic and parking to/from the drone show.
To allow space for the drone show, VTA must detour 23 and 523 Rapid bus service away from San Carlos St. in the area near Children’s Discovery Museum. Detour will be in effect from 7:30pm-11:30pm. Regular riders of either bus line? Expect up to 10 minute delays on these bus lines due to the detour.
Saturday, March 28
Purdue will face Arizona at SAP Center in San Jose for the right to advance to the Final Four in Indianapolis. Tipoff is at 5:49pm. The Fan Fest celebrating this game starts near the SAP Center at 12:30pm.
Our transit guides to SAP Center and San Jose Diridon Station are worth your read. These guides show you local and regional bus and rail service to the events that help you beat traffic and parking woes expected for this day.
Conclusion
Follow @svtransitupdts on X (formerly Twitter) for the latest public transit updates on this fun weekend.
Meanwhile, stay safe and enjoy the events while riding public transit.
Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users
Special thanks to Team San Jose for providing information for this guide.