More NCAA Events for MVC

(St. Louis, MO) – The Missouri Valley Conference has been awarded two future NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championships as announced by the NCAA Tuesday.  The MVC will host a men’s regional in Kansas City in 2019 and a first-second round in St. Louis in 2020.

MVC member Drake is hosting a first-second round in 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center.

These will be the thirteenth and fourteenth NCAA Tournament events hosted by the Valley since 1993. The 2019 Regional in Kansas City will find the MVC hosting in that city for the third time and for the fourth time outside of St. Louis.

St. Louis has been a frequent hosting spot for the jewel of college basketball, and Scottrade Center will be the venue for the fourth time.

Forbes Magazine says hosting March Madness events can be lucrative for a city like St. Louis or Kansas City.

“In Providence, it’s estimated that the local economy will generate about $3.5 million, and in Philadelphia nearly $18 million when they host the East Regional next week.”

Local officials say the local economy routinely realizes something in the low to mid teens in terms of the millions of dollars generated by the several day events.

I have personally attended the NCAA Tournament in several cities and most often in those hosted by the Valley staff. While the tournaments have become more and more uniform in my many years of covering the championships, Doug Elgin’s Valley crew always receives high marks for efficiency and for the family feel of the tournament games.

Drake’s hosting in 2019 won’t officially be connected to the Valley, but the MVC staff will, no doubt, play a role. Des Moines last hosted NCAA Men’s tournament games in 2016. Drake officials say local fans purchased six times the average amount of merchandise during the 2016 practice sessions.

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Editor: Opening paragraph from a Missouri Valley Conference press release.