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Evansville, Ind., Considering Bid For NCAA Tournament's First Four Games

Evansville (Ind.) Sports Exec Dir Jason Sands wants to see if the city can "wrestle away the 'First Four' games" of the NCAA Tournament from Dayton, which has hosted the opening games every year since '11, according to Daniel Allar of the Evansville COURIER & PRESS. Sands said he is "evaluating" whether to place a bid on the First Four for '19-'22. Bids are due Aug. 12, and the NCAA "will announce the championship sites in December for a four-year cycle" beginning with the '18-19 academic year. Evansville "would be eligible to host any number of the four years." NCAA representatives "gave positive reviews" in '15, the second of two straight years in which the Ford Center "hosted the Division II Elite Eight." The 10,000-capacity facility "averaged 4,563 fans for the two championship games." The "projected impact of the First Four would be greater," but Dayton has a "proven track record with that event, selling out its 13,435-capacity arena the past two years" (COURIERPRESS.com, 7/3). Meanwhile, officials from Hershey, Pa., also said that they "intend to bid" on the '19-'22 games. The DAYTON BUSINESS JOURNAL notes Dayton "won rights to host" the First Four from '16-18, "beating out" Sioux Falls, S.D., Des Moines and Wichita. The NCAA intends to "announce the winning venues in December" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 7/6). 

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