Do NCAA tourney host schools have any significance beyond the official designation and a logo in the corner of the court? For NCAA hockey the host program is guaranteed that location for the first two rounds if they qualify (which creates some awkward situations where higher seeds with much better resumes have to basically play road games) but I don't think that's the case for March Madness based on all the complexity involved.

On the contrary, the host school means the school CAN'T play there if it's the men's tournament (as far as I know the women's tournament still doesn't have this rule). You can play a maximum of three games in the arena in the year as long as you're not the host (or as I like to call it, the Villanova rule).

It's meaningless. San Jose State has sponsored as host for games at HP Pavilion (San Jose Sharks arena), but really got nothing out of it beyond a suite for school big wigs to watch from.

And I take it students at the schools don’t get 1st dibs on tickets?

(03-20-2022 05:44 PM)Pastasevensamurai Wrote:  

(03-20-2022 05:31 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  It's meaningless. San Jose State has sponsored as host for games at HP Pavilion (San Jose Sharks arena), but really got nothing out of it beyond a suite for school big wigs to watch from.

Correct. Extra work and resume building for the staff, logo on the court.

Yes. The host school and/or conference furnishes personnel to put on the games, but that is it. They get a logo on the court and a name on the scorer's table. Sometimes, there are co-hosts, such as Furman and the Southern Conference in Greenville. Niagara, Canisius, and the MAAC co-host in Buffalo.

And it is correct that a host school cannot host their own games, nor can they play in a host facility more than 3 times in the regular season.

In the workaround department: a power school will often find a way not to host. This year, for instance, Duquesne is hosting in Pittsburgh, and not Pitt (even though Pitt hasn't been a position to make the tournament in a while). An example: when Oklahoma City entered the host rotation, OU was the host school (I don't remember Oklahoma State co-hosting). When the possibility arose that a high-seeded OU team would be kept from playing in their backyard, the Big 12 Conference was asked to be the host institution. Likewise, the Big 12 hosts when the tournament is in Kansas City or Dallas, freeing up the site for local teams.

(03-20-2022 01:29 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  Do NCAA tourney host schools have any significance beyond the official designation and a logo in the corner of the court? For NCAA hockey the host program is guaranteed that location for the first two rounds if they qualify (which creates some awkward situations where higher seeds with much better resumes have to basically play road games) but I don't think that's the case for March Madness based on all the complexity involved.

Sometimes the host is not who you would expect. There is a first round basketball tournament in Spokane Washington in 2024, in which University of Idaho is the host. Gonzaga (Spokane) and Eastern Washington (Cheney) are much closer and Washington State (Pullman) is about the same distance but at least in the same state.

The 2023, 2025, and 2026 Ice Hockey Championships are in Tampa, St.Louis, and Las Vegas, and hosted by Wisconsin, Vermont, and North Dakota, respectively. The 2024 Championships are in St. Paul and hosted by Minnesota.

Looking at the bid specifications, it appears that banners from the host school are quite limited and approved by the NCAA. A 2025 basketball first round is at Rupp Arena in Lexington, so apparently any championship banners or retired numbers will be pulled down, and the NCAA will bring in their own court. If the arena is not associated with the host school, they can add a couple of banners approved by the NCAA.

The only thing I came across as requiring some involvement from the host school, is the expectation for the women's final four that some coursework for the university be associated with the event. Possible areas include:

• Marketing.
• Operations.
• Logistics.
• Sports management.
• Communications.
• Digital/Social Media.
• Event planning.
• Sustainability.
• Community Engagement.