For the fourth time in recent history, Denver was selected as one of eight cities to host the First and Second Rounds of the Division I Men’s Basketball Road to the Final Four Tournament in 2016. The games, scheduled for March 17 and 19, will be played in the Pepsi Center with the Mountain West Conference serving as the official host
A total of eight teams will play in four games on March 17, with four teams advancing to play in two games on March 19. Two teams will continue on after Denver as part of the Sweet 16 that ultimately advance to become the Final Four.
“From a purely economic standpoint, these regional games are great for cities because they bring in eight teams, coaches, bands and fans from eight different areas,” said Richard Scharf, president and CEO of Visit Denver.
Denver Sports, a division of Visit Denver, the Pepsi Center team and Dan Butterly, senior associate commissioner with the Mountain West Conference were instrumental in submitting Denver’s winning bid.
“We have hosted these preliminary rounds in 2004, 2008 and 2011, and based on past history, we will see all six games sell out with a huge following of fans filling hotels and restaurants,” Scharf said. In addition, Denver will receive national television exposure.
The NCAA has also selected Denver to host two upcoming sporting events: the 2015 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Quarterfinals at Sports Authority Field, and the 2016 NCAA Division II (DII) Spring Sports Festival, a six day event that will be held in The Mile High City for the first time.
The Spring Sports Festival includes six championships (men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s lacrosse, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, and softball) rolled into one event. “The unique feature of this sporting event is that all teams stay for the entire six day festival, even if their team has been eliminated, thereby increasing the number of overnight stays and the economic impact,” said Joan McDermott, athletic director at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
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