The American Athletic Conference on Thursday officially announced its men's basketball tournament "is returning to the XL Center" in '17, according to Dom Amore of the HARTFORD COURANT. The first AAC Tournament was played in Memphis in '14. Following UConn's national championship, it came to the XL Center in '15, where it "drew 45,400 fans, including 13,365 for the UConn-SMU championship game." The AAC then "signed a two-year agreement" with Amway Center in Orlando, where the tourney will "be staged next week." However, Orlando "landed NCAA regional games" for '17, "creating a conflict." The XL Center then "stepped in" for '17. The AAC said that the tournament "will return" to Orlando in '18 (HARTFORD COURANT, 3/4). In Memphis, Jason Smith reports the Central Florida Sports Commission and the AAC "mutually agreed to move the conference tournament to Hartford next year" (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 3/4).
TRADING PLACES: In Baltimore, Edward Lee notes this year's CAA men's basketball tournament at Royal Farms Arena, which starts today, will "be the last one in Baltimore for at least three years." The CAA in January announced that the tournament "would move to Charleston, S.C., and stay there" through '19. CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager said of the move, "It's understandable, the disappointment. But I think they also understand generally how the nuances of events, moving around. I think we're going forward to this week up in Baltimore, and we're making it the best show ever with the idea of maybe keeping the market open sometime in the future again. But I can understand. Heck, it will be emotional for us pulling out of there on Monday night, too. We've developed a lot of great friendships and partnerships with folks up in Baltimore over the last three-and-a-half years" (Baltimore SUN, 3/4).
