Let the March Madness begin.
The 2017 NCAA Final Four men’s basketball tournament will be played in Phoenix, it was announced Friday.
The Division I Men’s Basketball Committee announced Friday that Phoenix was among five cities selected from eight finalists to host the Final Four for the years 2017-2021. The Valley of the Sun will play host to the event at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale in 2017, becoming the first western city selected since Seattle staged the Final Four in 1995.
Experts say the week-long event could generate more than $100 million in economic impact. Final Four games will be played April 1 and 3, 2017 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. The 2015 Super Bowl and 2016 College Football Playoff championship game also will be played at the same venue.
Other cities chosen by the committee to host in future years include San Antonio in 2018, Minneapolis in 2019 and Atlanta in 2020. The committee elected to award the 2021 Final Four to Indianapolis, which as the home of the NCAA headquarters has a unique long-term contractual relationship that guarantees the Men’s Final Four will be held regularly in the city.
