WICHITA, Kan. – The NCAA announced Thursday afternoon that Wichita has been selected to host opening round games for the 2027 and 2028 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship at INTRUST Bank Arena.
Wichita and Dayton, Ohio, which has served as the host city for the start of the tournament since 2001, both will host three games each day on the Tuesday and Wednesday after Selection Sunday. The change was necessitated by the decision in May to expand the tournament field from 68 to 76 teams.
Wichita State University will serve as the host in partnership with Visit Wichita, Sedgwick County and the City of Wichita.
The site selection process began soon after the expansion announcement and culminated this week during the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee’s annual meeting. Wichita was selected from several cities that expressed interest in hosting the Opening Round. The Division I Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee on Thursday approved the selection recommendation from the Men’s Basketball Committee.
“We were pleased but not surprised by the number of cities from around the country that very much wanted March Madness to begin in their market,” said Keith Gill, the commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference and the chair of the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee. “Like Dayton, Wichita is a basketball-crazed community that we expect will embrace the reimagined start of the tournament. Having a city in Middle America will be advantageous for getting teams from various points around the country, many of which won’t be known until Selection Sunday, to the Opening Round and subsequently first-round sites.”
Wichita’s hosting history dates to the 1956 tournament, when the first round of the Midwest Regional was played at Levitt Arena, which eventually staged 24 tournament games over eight tournaments through 1981. The Kansas Coliseum hosted first- and second-round games in 1994, while INTRUST Bank Arena did the same in 2018 and 2025. INTRUST Bank Arena will serve as the Opening Round venue the next two years.
“We are honored that the NCAA has once again entrusted Wichita with hosting the Opening Round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship in both 2027 and 2028,” said Wichita State Director of Athletics Kevin Saal. “Wichita and Wichita State basketball has long been recognized as one of the nation’s premier basketball cities and programs, and we’re grateful to the NCAA, Visit Wichita, the City of Wichita, Sedgwick County, INTRUST Bank Arena and everyone whose partnership made this possible. Beyond this collaboration, this selection will have a significant economic impact to the city, county and state. These events provide an incredible opportunity to showcase our community’s passion for the game, create a first-class experience for participating student-athletes and fans, and welcome the country to a city that truly embraces March basketball.”
The Opening Round of the 2027 championship will take place March 16 and 17 and will feature the 12 lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the 12 lowest-seeded at-large teams. Provided all principles are met, the committee determined this week that the automatic qualifier games among teams seeded 16th will feature the 69th-ranked team on the overall seed list playing No. 70, 71 against 72, 73 versus 74, and 75 against 76, while games between 15 seeds will see No. 65 facing 66, and 67 playing 68. The six games featuring the at-large teams will consist of the last at-large team on the seed list playing the second-to-last at-large team, the third-to-last at-large team playing the fourth-to-last at-large team, and so on, again assuming all principles are met. As a secondary consideration, the committee will weigh moving Opening Round teams along the same seed line to optimize their travel to Opening Round and first-round sites.
“Being selected to host Opening Round games for the 2027 and 2028 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship is an honor,” said A.J. Boleski, Regional General Manager for INTRUST Bank Arena. “We’re excited to welcome teams and fans back to INTRUST Bank Arena and provide an exceptional experience while highlighting Wichita as a premier destination for major sporting events.”
“Wichita is a great college basketball town,” said NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt. “In addition, its central location is a key factor in tipping off March Madness in that, like Dayton, countless teams and fanbases will be within 400 miles of all Opening Round games.”
