SDSU, VIEJAS ARENA SELECTED TO HOST 2026 NCAA TOURNEY GAMES

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San Diego State is also hosting the first and second rounds in 2022

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

October 14, 2020 (San Diego) - San Diego State has been selected to host the first and second rounds of the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee announced today. This will be the sixth time SDSU and Viejas Arena have been picked to serve as a host for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

The Aztecs also host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship in 2022. San Diego State and Viejas Arena previously hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship in 2001, 2006, 2014 and 2018.

This is the third time for this specific NCAA championship bid process, which created the largest host site announcement ever, spanning 86 championships across a four-year cycle. Previously, selection announcements varied by sport. This process now gives the NCAA and host sites more time to plan each championship experience.

Bidding for 86 of 90 NCAA championships began in August 2019 and more than 3,000 bid applications were ultimately submitted. Each sport committee, per division, selected the host sites it believed would provide the ultimate experience for the respective student-athletes, resulting in more than 450 total championship event sites being awarded. More than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships each year. The four championships not included in the process due to preexisting site arrangements are: Division I baseball, Division I football, Division I softball and Division III women’s ice hockey.


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