🏀 Wichita Selected to Host 2025 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship First/Second Rounds

Wichita, Kansas – The NCAA announced today future hosts for championship and regional competitions for the 2023 through 2026 seasons. Wichita has been selected as the host city for 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship First and Second Rounds.

“We’re thrilled to have an opportunity to host NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship First and Second Rounds for the third time in eight years,” said Brad Pittman, senior associate athletic director at WSU. “We’re grateful for the entities that pulled together to make this happen and look forward to another opportunity to showcase our university and community.”

Wichita State University will serve as the host for 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship First and Second Rounds, which will take place at INTRUST Bank Arena in partnership with Visit Wichita, Sedgwick County and the City of Wichita.

"Being selected by the NCAA to host another first and second rounds of Division I Men’s Basketball is an honor,” said AJ Boleski, ASM Global General Manager for INTRUST Bank Arena. “We’re thrilled for yet another opportunity to showcase Sedgwick County and Wichita’s world-class facilities on a national stage.”

Wichita was selected from a highly competitive group of qualified cities. Collaboration between the partners who submitted the bid and programs at Wichita State University helped position Wichita well, showing Wichita had the necessary facilities and a supportive community to successfully host the events. 

In addition to the 2023-2026 NCAA events announced today, Wichita will also host the First and Second Rounds of the 2021 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship and the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship Regional Rounds. Today’s announcement took into consideration the 2020 winter and spring championships that were canceled in March, ensuring destinations would not miss out on the chance to host events they had been planning for years. 

"This reaffirms Wichita is a sports city, and also that it’s a great place to compete, visit and explore,” said Susie Santo, president and CEO of Visit Wichita. “Just as we did in 2018, and as we plan to do in 2021 and 2022, Wichita will put our best foot forward and provide a fantastic welcome to sports fans from across the country."
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About Visit Wichita
Visit Wichita markets the greater Wichita area as a major convention and tourism destination, thereby enhancing the economic development of the city, county, region and state. Visit Wichita is led by president and CEO Susie Santo, and in 2019 travel and tourism contributed more than $1.1 billion in economic impact to the greater Wichita area.

About Wichita State University
The mission of Wichita State University is to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good. Wichita State is a doctoral research university enrolling about 15,000 students and offering 59 undergraduate degree programs in more than 150 areas of study in seven undergraduate colleges. The Graduate School offers 45 master's and 12 doctoral degrees that offer study in more than 100 areas.