Wichita State AD Darron Boatright said that the AAC is "considering awarding" the conference's men's basketball tournament to a Midwest site "in the future," according to Paul Suellentrop of the WICHITA EAGLE. Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena "emerged as a topic of informal talks last week at conference meetings in Florida," while Tulsa’s BOK Center was also "mentioned as a possible home." Boatright said, "There was very positive discussion about giving it a test run for a year or two where it’s more accessible for institutions to drive." Five schools are "within 500 miles of Oklahoma City or Tulsa." Suellentrop notes the AAC "held its first tournament in Memphis." It has alternated between Hartford and Orlando since and is "scheduled for Orlando’s Amway Center in March." Meanwhile, Boatright said attendance at the event "has been a concern and remains a concern." Boatright: "If we’re going to brand ourselves as a ‘Power 6’ conference then every aspect of our conference needs to look like it." The tournament’s Sunday championship game on CBS leads into the NCAA selection show in '18, and a half-full arena is "not a good impression." Boatright: "We’re going to get a lot of unintended eyes that will be focused on the championship game of our tournament" (WICHITA EAGLE, 6/8).
