The NCAA has chosen Wichita as a host city for the Opening Round of the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship in both 2027 and 2028, the association announced this week. The games will be played at InTrust Bank Arena, returning a March tournament presence to downtown Wichita.
What this means for Wichita residents
Wichita will stage a tripleheader each day on the Tuesday and Wednesday after Selection Sunday, sharing the early-round duties with Dayton, Ohio. The Opening Round expands to accommodate a field increased to 76 teams, and Wichita will host six games per tournament in the new format.
Expect a surge of visitors, team staff and media to the downtown area on those game days. Local businesses that serve fans — hotels, restaurants, bars and transit services — stand to see increased demand. The schedule also places additional responsibilities on arena operations, public safety and traffic management during the mid-March dates.
Why Wichita was selected
The Division I Men’s Basketball Committee and its Oversight Committee approved the recommendation following the committee’s annual meeting. Committee leaders cited Wichita’s enthusiastic basketball community and central U.S. location as assets for the reimagined start of the tournament.
“Like Dayton, Wichita is a basketball-crazed community that we expect will embrace the reimagined start of the tournament,”
The selection followed a site process that began after the NCAA announced the field expansion in May. Wichita was chosen from a group of interested cities and will host the Opening Round for at least the next two editions.
Local arena and hosting history
InTrust Bank Arena downtown has hosted NCAA first- and second-round games before, including in 2018 and 2025. Wichita’s connection to NCAA tournament play goes back decades — Levitt Arena hosted Midwest Regional first-round games in 1956, and the Kansas Coliseum staged early-round games in 1994.
| Venue | Past NCAA tournament years |
|---|---|
| Levitt Arena | 1956–1981 (various years) |
| Kansas Coliseum | 1994 |
| InTrust Bank Arena | 2018, 2025; Opening Round 2027–2028 |
Broader tournament context
The change to two Opening Round sites resulted from the NCAA’s May decision to expand the tournament from 68 teams to 76. Dayton’s UD Arena, which has hosted the tournament’s early games for years, will continue to host alongside Wichita. UD Arena’s tournament legacy includes a tournament-game total that ranks among the highest in history.
- Wichita will host six Opening Round games per year in 2027 and 2028.
- Games take place the Tuesday and Wednesday after Selection Sunday as tripleheaders each day.
- InTrust Bank Arena is the designated Wichita venue for both years.
The NCAA has begun adjusting its selection and seeding procedures to account for the larger field; more details on logistics and the full seeding plan are expected later this year. For Wichita officials, arena operators and downtown businesses, planning for the March influx will begin now as the city prepares to welcome March Madness to Wichita’s downtown in consecutive years.
