WICHITA SELECTED TO HOST NCAA TOURNAMENT OPENING ROUND GAMES

Wichita, Kansas will host six opening-round games of the Division I men's basketball tournament in 2027 and 2028, the NCAA announced on Thursday. The selection follows the tournament's expansion to 76 teams, which restructures the opening round. Wichita will share hosting duties with Dayton, Ohio, with each city staging six games at InTrust Bank Arena and UD Arena respectively. All 12 opening-round games will feature the 24 lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and at-large teams.

The expansion eliminates the previous "First Four" format, which had featured four games in Dayton determining which four teams among the eight lowest seeds would advance to the 64-team field. Wichita was selected from seven finalist cities located west of the Mississippi River, including Albuquerque, New Mexico and Des Moines, Iowa. Keith Gill, chair of the Division I men's basketball committee and commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference, stated that Wichita's central location and basketball culture made it suitable for hosting the restructured tournament opening. Dan Gavitt, NCAA senior vice president, noted that the city's position allows numerous teams and fan bases to remain within 400 miles of all opening-round games.

The women's NCAA tournament is also expanding to 76 teams, though its opening-round games will be played on campuses at designated first and second-round host sites rather than at neutral locations. The structural difference reflects separate planning for men's and women's tournaments.