Missouri Valley Conference Extends Men’s Basketball Tournament Agreement with St. Louis
The MVC event will remain at Enterprise Center through 2028
Posted On: January 26, 2024 By :The Missouri Valley Conference has announced a three-year extension of its agreement to host its men’s basketball tournament at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, which keeps the event in the destination through at least 2028, with an option to continue the contract through 2030, which would mark 40 consecutive years of “Arch Madness” in the city.
“It’s wonderful to see the tradition of Arch Madness continue in St. Louis,” said St. Louis Sports Commission President Marc Schreiber. “The MVC Men’s Basketball Tournament is a tremendous asset to our region and important part of the St. Louis sports fabric. We are grateful to our friends at the MVC for their commitment to St. Louis and salute our colleagues at Enterprise Center for helping to keep the tournament in the Gateway City.”
The 2024 tournament will take place March 7–10; the MVC Men’s Basketball Tournament has been staged in St. Louis every March since 1991 with more than 1.5 million fans having attended at Kiel Auditorium (1991), the Saint Louis Arena (1992-1994) and Enterprise Center (1995 to present) to witness MVC tourney action.
“As Enterprise Center prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary later this year, we are thrilled to have been the home of Arch Madness since our opening year and now through at least 2028,” said Chris Zimmerman, St. Louis Blues president and chief executive officer. “Thanks to the dedication of our friends at the Missouri Valley Conference, this event has become one of the premier tournaments in college basketball, highlighting our venue and our city to fans across the country.”
The MVC Men’s Basketball Tournament is the second-longest continuously running neutral site men’s basketball event in the nation, second only to the Big East Tournament, which has been at Madison Square Garden since 1983.
“We are so fortunate to be in a position to continue our relationship with the Enterprise Center and the city of St. Louis,” said Missouri Valley Conference Commissioner Jeff Jackson. “Arch Madness has proven to be a fabulous experience for our student-athletes.”
The Missouri Valley Conference has partnered with the St. Louis Sports Commission to co-host numerous NCAA events over the past 25 years. Together, the organizations have hosted 12 NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournament events in St. Louis. The MVC and Sports Commission will co-host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in 2026 at Enterprise Center. The two have also partnered on Women’s Final Fours in 2001 and 2009 — both at Enterprise Center — and the Men’s Final Four in 2005.
“A multi-year run like this doesn’t occur without having a product that is in demand and a following that consistently supports it,” notes MVC Senior Associate Commissioner and Tournament Director Jack Watkins. “Our coaches and student-athletes provide compelling stories and great basketball every year, and we are grateful that we can deliver an experience worthy of their commitment thanks to the unyielding loyalty from our fans in league cities and the greater St. Louis metropolitan area.”
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