Spokane to host 2027 NCAA Tournament first and second rounds

Seattle was chosen as a host site for 2028 tournament

Mar 22, 2024; Spokane, WA, USA; St. Mary's Gaels center Mitchell Saxen (11) and Grand Canyon Antelopes forward Gabe McGlothan (30) fight for a rebound during the second half in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

March Madness is headed back to the Pacific Northwest.

As the NCAA announced future sites for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 championship seasons, the Spokane Arena was one of the nine venues selected for the first and second rounds of the 2027 NCAA Tournament. The University of Idaho will host.

Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, which will host the 2025 men’s tournament this March, was picked to host the Big Dance again in 2028 with the University of Washington.

The NCAA picked 25 cities in 18 different states to host the Division I men’s basketball tournaments in 2027 and 2028, including two of the most frequent hosts. Kansas City was chosen for the 2027 Midwest Regional, increasing the city’s all-time total to 137 tournament games. That’s tied for second all-time with Dayton, Ohio, which will continue to host the First Four through 2028 with the University of Dayton. 

The Chase Center, located in San Francisco, California, and home to the Golden State Warriors, was picked as a regional host for the 2028 tournament in conjunction with the West Coast Conference. It’s the third time the Chase Center will host the NCAA Tournament since it opened in 2019, the last time being in 2022 when Gonzaga lost to Arkansas in the West Regional. The 18,000-seat venue will also host the 2025 West Regional.

The 2027 tournament will mark the fourth time in the last six years that Spokane has hosted either the men’s or women’s tournament. The men’s tournament would’ve been in town for 2020, though it was canceled due to the pandemic.

Last season, the Gonzaga women’s basketball team advanced to the Sweet 16 after it knocked off 13-seed UC Irvine and 5-seed Utah in the first and second rounds at the McCarthey Athletic Center. 

Las Vegas and Philadelphia were chosen to host the 2027 women’s regional, while Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., will host in 2028.

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