Univ. of Phoenix Stadium last hosted the Final Four in '17 and is looking at another bidGETTY IMAGES
The Rams and Chargers' new stadium in Inglewood might be the "biggest hurdle" to Univ. of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale landing a future Final Four, according Doug Haller of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. The construction of the L.A. stadium has made Southern California an "attractive option for one of sports' most popular events." Like Phoenix, L.A. is "one of seven cities bidding on a future Final Four." Southland Conference Commissioner Tom Burnett, a member of the NCAA Men's Basketball Committee, said, "You have two venues out West, and you’re asking a question you haven’t had to ask in a long time. How often do we go out West?" Haller noted Phoenix in '17 hosted the Final Four, the "first time the event had unfolded west of Texas" since '95. L.A. "hasn’t hosted a Final Four" since '72. Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Detroit and Indianapolis also have "bids in this Final Four window." Burnett: "There is interest in Los Angeles. And as I’ve told others, we have a math issue here. We have seven cities bidding on four years. There’s a presumption that Indianapolis will get one of those because of their NCAA arrangement, so (it could be) six for three years." Phoenix Local Organizing Committee co-Chair Debbie Johnson said, "Without question, we want to be in that rotation, and we know we can do it" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 5/31).
