FOX Sports is planning to launch a brand new college tournament that could be a game-changer for teams not qualified for the famous “March Madness”.
For many years, the NCAA carefully avoided Las Vegas, seen as a hotbed of gambling, casinos, temptation, and potential trouble. However, that attitude has recently changed, as Las Vegas hosted the West Region games during the last edition of March Madness. From now on, the city of Nevada could become the scene of a new NCAA tournament, if we are to believe the information relayed by The Messenger.
The television network owns the broadcast rights for the Big 12, Big East and Big Ten conferences, which would allow it to invite 16 teams that would not have managed to secure their place for “March Madness”. It is important to note that this tournament would not seek to directly compete with “March Madness”, which enjoys undeniable popularity in the academic world. On the contrary, it would be more intended to compete with the NIT, the “National Invitation Tournament”, which is often seen as a consolation for teams excluded from “March Madness”.
The major advantage of this tournament proposed by FOX Sports compared to the NIT lies in the fact that all the matches would take place in the same place, in Las Vegas. Currently, NIT teams play their matches on different college campuses before meeting for the semifinals and finals. Historically, these were played at Madison Square Garden in New York. However, in 2023, they were moved… to the suburbs of Las Vegas, showing the city’s growing appeal for major sporting events.
This proposed college tournament in Las Vegas raises exciting questions about its potential impact on the sports landscape and the opportunities available to college teams. Time will tell whether this bold idea will come to fruition and whether Las Vegas will become an iconic venue for college basketball, alongside other major sports cities in the United States.
Nathan ZIMMERMANN
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2023-09-12 23:13:03
#BasketballNCAA #university #tournament
