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Which Cities Could Play Host for March Madness? A Power Ranking



Two weeks ago, we saw the conclusion to an edition of March Madness unlike any other. As you might expect from a season that spanned 2020 and 2021, nothing about the season, but especially the postseason, was “normal.” There were less fans in seats, there were wild upsets, there were teams who were eliminated not by a loss on the court but by positive COVID tests, and ultimately there was a national champion that, despite their very high standing and obvious quality, very few saw coming; Baylor had given way to fellow 1-seeds Gonzaga and Illinois as the public’s choice for champion, and entered the title game underdogs to the former, but ran away with it, only once letting their 2nd-half lead dip below double digits.


But for all the surprises and unfamiliarity in this year’s tournament, one difference stood out more starkly from the rest: the location. Whereas every previous tournament in the modern era had made use of college basketball’s national appeal by playing games in every corner of the United States, the 2021 tournament took place entirely in the greater Indianapolis area. It was a decision borne out of COVID precaution— conventional thinking was keeping players, staff, and fans of all 68 participating programs in one city, rather than jetting them across the country, would be more likely to reduce the spread of COVID —but also recognized Indianapolis as a de facto capital city of college basketball. It’s hard to argue otherwise; Indiana lives and breathes basketball, and it’s difficult to see their role as a host city this year as anything but a rousing success. Lucas Oil Stadium proved a terrific Final Four destination as it always does, and creating two courts out of the massive NFL stadium to be used for earlier rounds was an inspired choice. But the added touch of incorporating Purdue’s and Indiana’s famous arenas as earlier-round venues was a beautiful way of integrating the history of college basketball into an event that’s become much bigger than the college game itself.


There are no expressed or implied plans to do this sort of Host City model again. All indications are that, assuming the pandemic is at least largely in the rearview mirror, next season will see the return to the various host cities across the U.S. It’s also hard to see any city in America that could perform as well in this role as Indianapolis did. But the success and excitement of the singular host to March Madness got me thinking about other cities and urban areas that could pull off hosting duties, should the NCAA ever decide to go back to this format.


I have compiled a list of every city or metropolitan area I think could be a feasible candidate for March Madness host. The criteria is essentially the ability to replicate Indy’s 2021 model: an NFL-size arena with a roof or dome to host at least the Final Four and national championship, then at least 5 other smaller arenas, including college basketball-specific arenas to host the earlier stages of the tournament. Below is my power ranking of all potential cities, not including Indianapolis:



12. Central Florida (Orlanda-Tampa area)



National Championship/Final Four (1 court)

Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round (2 courts)

Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg)


Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round

Amalie Arena (Tampa)

Amway Center (Orlando)


Round of 32/1st Round/First Four

O'Connell Center (Gainesville)



This is the one entry on the list wherein despite technically having the capacity to host March Madness, it probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense for them to do so. Amalie Arena in Tampa and Amway Center in Orlando are both very nice NHL/NBA venues that have served and would continue to serve as great regional final locations. But as far as Final Four venues go, St. Pete's rundown Tropicana Field isn't a glimmering option; there's a reason the Rays' domed stadium hasn't hosted a Final Four since 1999. And though the University of Florida is close enough to the Central Florida region to host some tournament games, in-state rivals Florida State and Miami are far enough away to not really be viable hosts, relegating the other on-campus options to the considerably smaller, corporately-sponsored arenas of USF and UCF.


 

11. Houston



National Championship/Final Four (1 court)

Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round (2 courts)


Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round


Round of 32/1st Round

Reed Arena (College Station)

American Bank Center (Corpus Christi)


1st Round/First Four


For as huge and university-laden a city as Houston, America's 4th-largest city, is, there is far from an abundance of venues large or updated enough to host a tournament with the magnitude of March Madness. Playing the play-in games in the smaller on-campus venues at Texas Southern and Houston would be a nice way to get started on the local scene, and NRG Stadium and Toyota Center are quality enough to justify being a preferable option to the Orlando-Tampa bid. But the latter two are really the only venues in or around the city that would be big enough to justify playing the later stages of the tournament in, and that's a big load for two venues to bear. And although earlier rounds would see the appeal of playing in on-campus arenas, out of necessity, it'd be well outside city limits to go to Texas A&M's College Station and Corpus Christi's campuses.


 

10. New Orleans



National Championship/Final Four (1 court)

Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round (2 courts)


Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round


Round of 32/1st Round

Cajundome (Lafayette)


First Four



New Orleans is very similar to Houston, in that it has an NFL and NBA venue that are ideal March Madness locations, as evidenced by both the Superdome's and the New Orleans Hornets' home arena being frequent tournament hosts, but not much depth behind them. I give New Orleans a slight nod over Houston simply because the former's proximity to Baton Rouge gives them a couple more viable options. Furthermore, though you can make an argument that it makes sense to start the tournament in the host city, there's also an argument to be made for the Indy 2021 model of having the play-in games on campuses outside the city, then moving into New Orleans as the tournament goes on. Still, I can see the lack of large venues in the greater New Orleans area resulting in a pretty decent logistical headache for the NCAA.


 

9. San Antonio



National Championship/Final Four (1 court)

Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round (2 courts)


Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round


Round of 32/1st Round

American Bank Center (Corpus Christi)

Strahan Arena (San Marcos)


First Four


Like New Orleans before it, San Antonio benefits from having another decent-sized city, and a college town at that, within an hour from it. In this case, that city is Austin, which adds a little more heft than Baton Rouge does for New Orleans. The Alamodome is an aging venue, but continues to be a March Madness favorite, hosting the Final Four as recently as 2018, and the Spurs' AT&T Center would have zero problem accommodating games as late as the Elite 8. Still, the viable options within the host city itself are fairly limited, and though I'm sure Texas A&M-CC and Texas State would enjoy their time in the sun, I can't imagine many fans would be excited to flock to say, San Marcos for the postseason.


 

8. North Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth area)



National Championship/Final Four (1 court)

Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round (2 courts)

AT&T Stadium (Arlington)


Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round

Dickies Arena (Fort Worth)


Round of 32/1st Round

UNT Coliseum (Denton)


First Four


Dallas, at least Dallas proper, actually has a surprisingly small amount of universities, at least in comparison to its Texan peer Houston. However, North Texas has the luxury of having a number of small cities in the greater Dallas area, such as Fort Worth, Frisco, and Arlington, which would host the start and end of the tournament. This host city runs into the same issue a number of the ones ranked below it do, which is to say, a dearth of high-capacity venues behind the NFL and NBA arena(s). That said, North Texas gets the nod above the other Texan cities because of how high-quality its Final Four venue is.


 

7. Atlanta



National Championship/Final Four (1 court)

Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round (2 courts)


Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round


Round of 32/1st Round

McKenzie Arena (Chattanooga)


First Four



Atlanta was supposed to be the host of the 2020 Final Four, and were the first and foremost victims of the cancellation of that postseason due to COVID-19. As of now, there's no announced plan for Atlanta to host again, which is a shame; its time will surely come, but it's crazy to think that the Falcons' gorgeous stadium, just built in 2017, still hasn't hosted this event. Beyond that great stadium, though, Atlanta is another city that suffers from lack of depth. The Atlanta Hawks' home arena and the Infinite Energy Arena in nearby Duluth provide good latter-round venues, but because Georgia Tech's small home arena would really only be justifiable as a play-in venue, you would have to look outside the city for more options. Fortunately, that there's no shortage of universities within just a couple hours of the city, and the neat angle of an Atlanta bid is that three schools from three different states, Georgia, Clemson and UT-Chattanooga, all have homes for their basketball teams that could double as early-round March Madness hosts.


 

6. St. Louis



National Championship/Final Four (1 court)

Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round (2 courts)


Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round

Mizzou Arena (Columbia)

State Farm Center (Champaign)


Round of 32/1st Round/First Four

Ford Center (Evansville)



For a city that hasn't hosted the Final Four since 2005 (which was won by North Carolina), St. Louis is remarkably capable of hosting this tournament. I know the famous dome, now named The Dome at America's Center, hasn't had a football team playing there in over 5 years, but considering San Antonio has never hosted an NFL team but still is in the Final Four rotation, I'm not sure how or why St. Louis fell off. In the St. Louis Blues' Enterprise Center, the home of "Arch Madness" has another large venue capable of multiple rounds of tournament play, plus two more arenas with over 10,000 capacity that could accomodate at least the earlier rounds. In Mizzou, Illinois, and Evansville, there are colleges within just a few hours of the city whose on-campus arenas could host tournament play. It's not the most centralized or urban locale, perhaps, but it'd be nice to see a true "middle America" Final Four.


 

5. Phoenix



National Championship/Final Four (1 court)

Round of 32/1st Round (2 courts)


Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round

Gila River Arena (Glendale)

McKale Center (Tucson)


Round of 32/1st Round

Walkup Skydome (Flagstaff)


First Four



It may seem silly to deem Phoenix the host city with only two venues actually within city limits, and one of them (Grand Canyon's home arena) only being big enough for the First Four. But considering Glendale and Tempe directly border America's fastest-growing city, essentially all but two tournament venues are in the greater Phoenix area. The Arizona Cardinals' stadium played host to the 2017 Final Four (which was won by North Carolina), and is slated to host again in 2024, and that's no surprise; it's a huge, high-quality venue. And what's great is that it wouldn't even be needed between the first couple rounds and the Final Four. Nearby state universities Arizona and Arizona State both have arenas capable of hosting late into the tournament, and Phoenix-Glendale has two different arenas for their basketball and hockey teams, the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Coyotes, both big enough to host up to the Elite 8. Flagstaff is the only city that's a bit of a hike from Phoenix, but Northern Arizona's Walkup Skydome is a venue worthy of the trek. Phoenix, a famously sprawling city, would be more than equipped to play host to March Madness.


 

4. Minneapolis



National Championship/Final Four (1 court)

Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round (2 courts)


Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round


Round of 32/1st Round/First Four



The last pre-COVID Final Four was held in Minneapolis' U.S. Bank Stadium, the first time the event had been held in that venue, and the first time it had been held in Minneapolis since 2001. The home of the Minnesota Vikings is gorgeous, and unsurprisingly played a great host for the tournament's conclusion. What may be more surprising, though, is just how well the Twin Cities would be poised to host an entire tournament of this size. The Final Four arena would be set in stone, but the University of Minnesota alone has two different venues that could serve as host, in the homes of their basketball and ice hockey teams. Add in the nearby homes for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Wild, and just within the Twin Cities, you'd have just about all the stadia needed. The only downside to the Minneapolis bid is that once you go outside the city to find the last couple venues, the pickings are slim. Ames, Iowa (home of Iowa State) and Sioux Falls, South Dakota are both within a few hours and have charming venues that could do the trick, but neither town seems particularly equipped for hosting a large influx of fans from across the country.


 

3. Detroit



National Championship/Final Four (1 court)

Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round (2 courts)


Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round

Crisler Center (Ann Arbor)



Round of 32/1st Round

Van Andel Arena (Grand Rapids)

Convocation Center (Ypsilanti)


First Four



Had the Joe Louis Arena and Palace at Auburn Hills not both been demolished in the last couple years, Detroit could make a serious claim for the #1 the spot. Those venues would give Detroit four top-tier venues right in and around the city. That said, even with their absence, Motor City makes a serious claim for the best Midwestern host not named Indianapolis. The venue that both aforementioned arenas were demolished because of, the Little Caesars Arena, is a phenomenal new(ish) home to both the Detroit Pistons and Detroit Red Wings that could handle loads of tournament games. Detroit Mercy's Calihan Hall is an adequate spot to hold the First Four games within city limits, Ypsilanti (home of Eastern Michigan) is close enough to Detroit that incoming fans could just stay in the host city, and Grand Rapids, while on the other side of the state, is more than capable of playing host to a number of tourists. And the real feather in the cap for the Detroit bid would be that within an hour and a half of the city sit two historic college basketball venues; the homes of Michigan and Michigan State would be capable and exciting venues for the first several rounds of March Madness.


 

2. Las Vegas



National Championship/Final Four (1 court)

Round of 32/1st Round (2 courts)


Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round


Round of 32/1st Round

Orleans Arena (Paradise)


First Four



Here's a name that's not exactly synonymous with college sports: Las Vegas! In fact, Sin City isn't really synonymous with sports in general, but boy, have they made a concerted effort to change that. In the last few years, they've gained an NHL and NFL franchise, and with them, two sparkly, gorgeous arenas. UNLV, who dominated college basketball in the early 90s, has their own arena that can more than hold its own in the latter stages of the tournament. Add in additional venues in nearby Paradise that have already played hosts to the Mountain West tournament, West Coast Conference tournament, and a WNBA franchise, and you don't even need Allegiant Stadium for the regional semifinals and finals! That's almost a shame, though, with how pretty the Las Vegas Raiders' stadium is. The final cherry on top is the ability to kick off the tournament in the heart of Las Vegas, at the Convention Center. A smaller-capacity venue, to be sure, but if it can be set up to hold a massive AAU tournament, it can hold four play-in games, surely. Who knows if we'll ever see a single location play "host city"; to the entire tournament again, but don't be surprised to see Las Vegas popping up as a host for some Sweet 16, Elite 8 and yes, even Final 4 games in the future.


 

1. Los Angeles



National Championship/Final Four (1 court)

Round of 32/1st Round (2 courts)


Elite 8/Sweet 16/Round of 32/1st Round

Honda Center (Anaheim)


Round of 32/1st Round


First Four



It had to be L.A., right? If there's one city in America that could almost indisputably make a better March Madness host than Indianapolis, it's the City of Angels. Ironically, the 2nd-biggest city in America has never hosted the Final Four in the modern era; the last time college basketball's vaunted final weekend came to town was 1972, when it was hosted by the now-demolished Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. That's because the only stadiums it had to offer bigger than standard basketball arenas were open-air football stadiums in the Rose Bowl and Memorial Coliseum, so ever since the switch near the turn of the century to playing the Final Four exclusively in large domed football stadiums, they've been left without an eligible option. That changed last year, with the completion of the jaw-dropping, roof-capable SoFi Stadium, a building that's destined to host many Final Four weekends in the future. But, amazingly, just like Las Vegas and Allegiant Stadium, L.A. has so many other arenas that it could afford to give SoFi a break between opening weekend and Final Four weekend. The Staples Center and Honda Center have already been home to tons of regional finals in the last decade, and The Forum, Inglewood's past home for the Lakers and future home for the Clippers, is a solid option for several rounds as well. Just like the other top candidates, Los Angeles has quality on-campus offerings in USC's Galen Center, and especially in UCLA's historic Pauley Pavilion. And if you still aren't sold, between L.A. and Anaheim, they have not one, but two convention centers that could host the four play-in games! If we ever see a host city for the entirety of March Madness again, you've got to imagine Los Angeles, 2028 Olympics host, will be atop the list.




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