While the majority of the college basketball world is focused on central Indiana this month as Indianapolis hosts the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, another Indiana city is also getting in on the March Madness action. Evansville will later this month host the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals of the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament. Greg Wathen, chief executive officer of the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana, says the event gives the city an opportunity to showcase itself as a sports city.
In an interview with Inside INdiana Business, Wathen said while the financial economic impact may be lower than expected due to the pandemic, Evansville will still reap benefits from the tournament.
“That’s on live television so when you see those kind of things, you’re expanding the brand for our region,” said Wathen. “In particular, there’s nothing better than seeing, ‘From the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana as part of southwest Indiana’ (and) you’re seeing that visually as it’s coming across the screen. I think it just continues to play that we’re a great sports region, a great sports town and that we have venues that accommodate these kinds of events.”
The Division II Elite Eight, Final Four and Finals will be played at the Ford Center in downtown Evansville.
The venue last week hosted the Ohio Valley Conference Championship and Wathen says the venue plays a huge role in the city’s ability to host these types of events.
“When (fans) come there, they’re going to see the safety protocols that they’ve put in place,” said Wathen. “It’s that embracing of the community and I think Evansville will play very well for the NCAA. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have this opportunity, even with COVID.”
The NCAA last month announced up to 25% attendance capacity would be allowed at its winter championships. Wathen says the city has been arduously preparing for the influx of players and fans.
“You have options with regard to where do the players stay and in what hotels. So, (the city is) addressing those kinds of things and making sure people feel that, while they’re there, that there’s a level of security, comfort for those fans coming in. And additionally, one of the things that they’re most assuredly going to be doing is being able to track all that data and so they’ll have a lot of that data…to ensure that people have had a good experience while at the same time getting data for us for subsequent future years.”
The Division II championship games will take place March 24-27.
The city of Fort Wayne was scheduled to host the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship, however the NCAA last month canceled its winter championships “due to low participation numbers among member schools.”