A lot of these teams that are on the bubble, this might be their one chance. You've got to make it special. That's a guarantee. It doesn't matter who you're playing. It's a legitimate NCAA tournament atmosphere. Dayton and its community have focused their efforts on trying to assure the First Four stays in southwest Ohio.
The event began three years ago as a festival before it was renamed and provides more than 3, tickets for local students and airmen from nearby Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Twenty local companies pledged support initially, but that number has grown to It's the community and how the community has embraced this. It's a basketball city with a basketball arena. The two of those meet at one place — the UD Arena — and it really just makes for a great environment to watch a game and no doubt participate in a game.
At the center is the arena. Every March since , two words in college basketball have become synonymous with Dayton: First Four. Taking place prior to the first official round in the tournament, eight college basketball teams play to make it into the NCAA tournament and, hopefully, to the Final Four. Dayton, Ohio has been home to the First Four since and will continue to host the games through But why Dayton? The Dayton International Airport makes it easy for fans to cheer on their favorite teams.
Location, location, location. However, just because Dayton has always been the host doesn't mean that they're a lock to continue hosting the event. The current agreement guarantees the First Four through the season, after an three-year extension was reached in If you had to hazard a guess, you'd be well served to wager that the NCAA will once again look hard at the idea of potentially splitting up the First Four, to help potentially mitigate travel concerns for participating teams, as well as explore if that arrangement is more profitable.
Nashville could potentially be an option, as the city has held conference tournaments before, and has a program with recent basketball attendance success in Vanderbilt. Louis or Indianapolis to name a few , or even move the event down Route 70 to Columbus. If the NCAA wanted to throw geography out the window, Atlanta and Las Vegas gambling concerns be damned could also be competitors, given their depth of experience in hosting events, their airports, and relatively affordable airfare and hotel options.
Still, unless another city makes an absolute slam dunk bid bid, or the event grows further beyond the four basketball games, it's not unreasonable to expect for the event to stay in Dayton. It provides a great influx of economic activity to a region that needs it, and the fans, university and city have been great hosts.
It also gives locals a chance to see postseason basketball without breaking the bank. Underdogs are a huge part of what makes March Madness great in the first place. What's a bigger underdog story these days than a place like Dayton? Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.
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