By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
College basketball in Las Vegas got a boost with news Wednesday that Los Angeles-based AEG, which is part-owner of T-Mobile Arena, and FOX Sports are combining forces to hold a postseason 16-team tournament that will stage games at T-Mobile Arena and MGM Grand Garden Arena starting in 2025.
The tourney will be called the “College Basketball Crown,” which would have teams from the Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 while also including at-large teams.
In 2025, the tourney will be held from March 31 to April 6 in Las Vegas.
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Teams that don’t qualify for the NCAA Big Dance will be eligible to play in the tourney. The promoters are looking to have two automatic qualifiers from each of the three participating conferences, plus at-large teams picked by a committee.
It looks like the College Basketball Crown tourney would compete against the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
AEG Global Partnerships will have exclusive rights to all commercial sales and sponsorship activations for the College Basketball Crown with FOX Sports overseeing media rights and broadcast sales. FOX Sports would broadcast games on FOX and FS1.
The 2025 tourney will include men’s teams, but not women’s teams.
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