Utah Valley Wolverines Named 2028 NCAA Tournament Host
Oct 2, 2024, 4:15 PM
A Pac-12 basketball tournament logo is shown on basketballs before a semifinal game between the Arizona Wildcats and the Oregon Ducks in the Pac-12 Conference basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY— Utah Valley University will host the first and second rounds of the 2028 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at Delta Center, home of the Utah Jazz and Utah Hockey Club.
The NCAA announced the 2027 and 2028 preliminary round host sites on Wednesday, October 2.
UVU being named host for Salt Lake means Utah and BYU can play there. https://t.co/LdA7c6gjFt
— Jeremy Mauss (@JeremyMauss) October 2, 2024
“We are incredibly excited and honored to be named as a host school for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament,” said Dr. Jared Sumsion, Utah Valley University Director of Athletics, in a press release. “This opportunity highlights the progress of our athletics program and showcases the confidence the NCAA has in Utah Valley and our ability to stage premier events.”
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“This is not only a great day for UVU Athletics but also for basketball fans in the state of Utah,” added Sumsion. “We look forward to collaborating with Delta Center and Salt Lake City to continue to bring the excitement of March Madness to our region.”
The Delta Center will host in conjunction with UVU staff. The Wolverine’s men’s basketball program has never advanced to March Madness since joining Division 1 in 2013.
Could Utah-based schools stay in SLC?
The first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament are scheduled in ‘pods’ with two sets of four teams from the four regions (East, South, Midwest, West). Seeking to limit early-round travel, the NCAA Selection Committee places teams in ‘pods’ closer to home when it doesn’t conflict with seeding rules. Each pod contains a top-four seed, meaning higher-ranked teams receive priority in site location.
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With the unpredictable nature of college athletics, it would be fruitless to speculate whether a Beehive State school could benefit from a great regular season. The possibility stands that with UVU hosting, Utah, BYU, Weber State, and Utah State would not be prevented from playing the first two rounds in Salt Lake based on seeding rules.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball coverage here.
