The Final Four heads to Las Vegas, albeit from a safe distance, where betting on the NCAA Tournament has long been a staple of March Madness revelry.
The NCAA announced Tuesday that it has awarded the men’s national semifinals and championship games for the 2027-28 season to Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL’s Raiders.
The NCAA has long avoided bringing marquee events to Las Vegas due to its reputation as a gambling mecca. But the stance softened over the years, especially as sports betting was legalized in states across the country and many leagues made their glorious arenas home to post-season basketball tournaments.
The NCAA announced Tuesday that the men’s National Semifinals and championship games for the 2027-28 season have been awarded to Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL’s Raiders.
This handout provided by the Las Vegas News Bureau shows basketball fans crowding the Mirage Resort Race and Sports Book in Las Vegas during the NCAA March Madness Tournament on March 19, 2010.
Houston Cougars’ Reggie Chaney #32 and Baylor Bears’ Flo Samba #0 battle for the opening tipoff during the NCAA Final Four Semifinals at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on April 3, 2021
The NCAA announced Tuesday that Ford Field in Detroit will host the 2027 Final Four, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis will host the 2029 event, and AT&T Stadium in Dallas will host the 2030 event.
Bradley Athletic Director Chris Reynolds, who chairs the NCAA selection committee, said, “We are thrilled to bring the NCAA’s premier championship to Las Vegas. Las Vegas has been a favorite for years. It has hosted numerous championships from several member conferences.
“Feedback from the league, the team’s fans, and the media covering the events held there has been overwhelmingly positive, and I’m confident we’ll get the same review.”
This season’s National Championship will be decided at Houston’s NRG Stadium, but Phoenix’s State Farm Stadium, San Antonio’s Alamodome and Lucas Oil Stadium have already been selected to the next three Final Fours.
Wisconsin’s Jake Sindberg bets at a spectator party for the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament inside the 25,000-square-foot Race & Sports Superbook at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, featuring a 4,488-square-foot HD video screen on March 15. to hold. , 2018
Las Vegas is still a new venue for major NCAA events.
Mountain West will play championship games this season at the Thomas & Mack Center, Pac-12 at T-Mobile Arena, West Coast Conference at Orleans Arena, Michelob Ultra Arena and WAC Split at Orleans Arena.
Las Vegas plans to host nine NCAA championships over the next four years, and the men’s NCAA tournament will debut next March with regional rounds at T-Mobile Arena.
we are excited. Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Steve Hill said it’s very exciting to have a marquee event like this coming to town. “Vegas has been a basketball city for decades. I am really happy to be able to truly celebrate the
LeBron James wants to own a team in Las Vegas and has asked NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to expand into Sin City, what the Lakers forward calls “a great sports market.”
Once a sports pariah, Las Vegas suddenly became a destination.
Once highlighted on the sports calendar by college football’s Las Vegas Bowl, the annual rodeo and UNLV men’s basketball, now the NFL’s Raiders, NHL’s Golden Knights, WNBA’s Aces and the inaugural F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. I’m proud of myself. 2023.
Meanwhile, with rumors that Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics could find their way to Sin City, LeBron James has openly considered owning a Las Vegas-based NBA team.
“Adam, I want a team here,” James said in October, referring to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
Silver has spoken out many times about expansion plans over the last few years, but there’s also a clear belief that the NBA won’t proceed with adding teams until the next collective bargaining agreement and television deal is finalized.
That being said, Silver calls Las Vegas “a great sports market.” The NBA already has deep ties to Las Vegas, where it hosts the Summer League.
“Like I said before, the league will definitely expand over time, but we’re not discussing that right now,” Silver said earlier this year. “But one factor in the expansion is the dilution of potential talent.”
James said he wanted to own a team on HBO Sports’ The Shop: Uninterrupted in June, revealing plans to host the team in Las Vegas, a long-mentioned location for potential expansion.
“I want to own a team,” James said on his HBO TV show “The in June.” Yeah, I want a team… I want a team in Vegas.
The NBA currently has no plans to add an expansion team, but Silver described that scenario as “inevitable” last year.
At the time, a league spokesman warned DailyMail.com that the NBA had no plans to add more teams just yet.
Las Vegas is home to the NFL (Raiders), WNBA (Aces) and NHL (Golden Knights) teams, and before the SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder, Seattle had the NBA’s most loyal fan base. . T-Mobile Arena (pictured) could host his NBA game
And while Las Vegas already has a T-Mobile arena where the Golden Knights play, there’s been talk of another NBA-centric arena on the horizon.
International stadium developer Oak View Group announced plans to build a $3 billion sports and entertainment district just south of the Strip after acquiring 25 acres of land from the city of Las Vegas in March. A spokesman for OVG told DailyMail.com that the proposed 20,000-seat arena would cost him nearly $1 billion and is expected to be funded with private funding.
For comparison, T-Mobile Arena was completed in 2016 with $375 million in private funding. Meanwhile, Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL’s Raiders, was completed for $1.9 billion in 2020, thanks to his $750 million public funding from municipal bonds and hotel taxes.
The project is set to break ground next year just 10 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip. The proposed arena will be adjacent to Interstate 15 and his 215, and near a new high-speed rail station.His proposed $1 billion arena should be completed by 2025 at the earliest
The other Final Four sites selected on Tuesday have a history of hosting men’s basketball championships.
Ford Field was the site of the 2009 tournament, when 72,922 fans packed the home of the Detroit Lions to watch North Carolina beat Michigan State. AT&T Stadium is also home to the Dallas Cowboys and he will win his second Final Four after being held in 2014 when Connecticut defeated Kentucky in front of 79,238 spectators.
Lucas Oil Stadium has hosted the Final Four six times in the last 25 years, including the 2021 event. Indianapolis will tie Kansas City for the most title games at 10 when it hosts the Final Four in 2029.
“It’s been said many times that coaches, players, fans and media love coming to the Final Four in Indianapolis, but it’s hard to overstate how much everyone enjoys the experience when they go. “People don’t just accept big events, they don’t take one thing for granted.”
