I think it is a snowballs chance in hell but they are hosting the 1st and 2nd round of the mens tourney in 2008. (I think) It is a great facility.
Omaha.com Sports Section
Published Wednesday | May 2, 2007
Omaha makes its Big 12 bid
BY LEE BARFKNECHT
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
College basketball fans in Nebraska and western Iowa, keep your fingers crossed.
javascript:enlargePhoto(107994)
Qwest Center Omaha, with its increased seating capacity at 17,500, may be a possible site for the Big 12 men's basketball tournament.
There's at least a chance now that the Big 12 men's and women's basketball tournaments someday could be played in Omaha.
Dan Morrissey, president of the Omaha Sports Commission, confirmed Tuesday that the commission and Qwest Center Omaha have submitted an official bid to host the two concurrent March events, using the Qwest Center for the men and Civic Auditorium for the women.
No details were given about the size of the bid or the potential years to host.
"That's all the information I can give you right now," Morrissey said. "We don't want to tip our hand.
"It's a great tournament. It would be great for the city of Omaha. I think people would really embrace it, and it certainly would be a feather in our cap."
The Big 12, at its spring administrative meetings May 21 through 25, is expected to announce future sites for its football championship game and the basketball tournaments.
Now that the Big 12 has extended its ABC/ESPN television contract, sites could be announced for the next four to five years. The only sites currently set are for the coming season - football in San Antonio on Dec. 1, 2007, and basketball in Kansas City, Mo., in early March 2008.
What other cities are seeking the Big 12 basketball tournament?
Kansas City is definitely in the mix, Kevin Gray of the KC Sports Commission said Tuesday.
"We've been very aggressive in our bidding for both the football championship and the basketball tournaments," he said.
Kansas City has been the basketball host seven times before (1997 through 2002, and 2005). Dallas was the host in 2003, 2004 and 2006. Oklahoma City hosted for the first time in March.
Gray said he expected "the usual list" - San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City - to be involved in the basketball bidding besides Kansas City and Omaha. The Big 12 doesn't disclose which cities are bidding.
The Big 12 football title game has been played in St. Louis, San Antonio, Kansas City, Dallas and Houston.
"Between basketball and football, we'll probably see six to eight cities involved," Gray said. "Out of that list, I'm not sure how viable everybody is."
Omaha has become viable for basketball with the recent addition of seats to Qwest Center Omaha. The new listed capacity of 17,500 meets the Big 12 minimum.
Kansas City's new Sprint Center will seat 18,500. The Ford Center in Oklahoma City seats 18,879.
Officials in Kansas City estimate a $15 million economic impact from the 2008 basketball tournaments, which run on a Tuesday through a Sunday in early March. History indicates the events draw about 8,000 to 10,000 out-of-town fans to a host city.
Big 12 Commissioner Kevin Weiberg, in previous interviews, said the league at one time discussed "anchoring" the championship events in one city for a three- to four-year period.
Recently, the discussion has been more about continuing to rotate events.
Despite that, speculation has surfaced that when the Dallas Cowboys' new $1 billion football stadium is completed in 2009 that the Big 12 football title game might go there and stay long term.
If that happened, Kansas City has been seen as a likely anchor site for the basketball tournaments.
Said Gray: "We would love that to be the case, if that happens."
To monitor proceedings, the KC Sports Commission will send a delegation to the Big 12 spring meetings later this month. The Omaha Sports Commission won't.
"There is a time and place to go to those kinds of meetings," Morrissey said. "We just didn't feel as if our presence was necessary there."
Omaha.com Sports Section
Published Wednesday | May 2, 2007
Omaha makes its Big 12 bid
BY LEE BARFKNECHT
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
College basketball fans in Nebraska and western Iowa, keep your fingers crossed.
javascript:enlargePhoto(107994)
Qwest Center Omaha, with its increased seating capacity at 17,500, may be a possible site for the Big 12 men's basketball tournament.
There's at least a chance now that the Big 12 men's and women's basketball tournaments someday could be played in Omaha.
Dan Morrissey, president of the Omaha Sports Commission, confirmed Tuesday that the commission and Qwest Center Omaha have submitted an official bid to host the two concurrent March events, using the Qwest Center for the men and Civic Auditorium for the women.
No details were given about the size of the bid or the potential years to host.
"That's all the information I can give you right now," Morrissey said. "We don't want to tip our hand.
"It's a great tournament. It would be great for the city of Omaha. I think people would really embrace it, and it certainly would be a feather in our cap."
The Big 12, at its spring administrative meetings May 21 through 25, is expected to announce future sites for its football championship game and the basketball tournaments.
Now that the Big 12 has extended its ABC/ESPN television contract, sites could be announced for the next four to five years. The only sites currently set are for the coming season - football in San Antonio on Dec. 1, 2007, and basketball in Kansas City, Mo., in early March 2008.
What other cities are seeking the Big 12 basketball tournament?
Kansas City is definitely in the mix, Kevin Gray of the KC Sports Commission said Tuesday.
"We've been very aggressive in our bidding for both the football championship and the basketball tournaments," he said.
Kansas City has been the basketball host seven times before (1997 through 2002, and 2005). Dallas was the host in 2003, 2004 and 2006. Oklahoma City hosted for the first time in March.
Gray said he expected "the usual list" - San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City - to be involved in the basketball bidding besides Kansas City and Omaha. The Big 12 doesn't disclose which cities are bidding.
The Big 12 football title game has been played in St. Louis, San Antonio, Kansas City, Dallas and Houston.
"Between basketball and football, we'll probably see six to eight cities involved," Gray said. "Out of that list, I'm not sure how viable everybody is."
Omaha has become viable for basketball with the recent addition of seats to Qwest Center Omaha. The new listed capacity of 17,500 meets the Big 12 minimum.
Kansas City's new Sprint Center will seat 18,500. The Ford Center in Oklahoma City seats 18,879.
Officials in Kansas City estimate a $15 million economic impact from the 2008 basketball tournaments, which run on a Tuesday through a Sunday in early March. History indicates the events draw about 8,000 to 10,000 out-of-town fans to a host city.
Big 12 Commissioner Kevin Weiberg, in previous interviews, said the league at one time discussed "anchoring" the championship events in one city for a three- to four-year period.
Recently, the discussion has been more about continuing to rotate events.
Despite that, speculation has surfaced that when the Dallas Cowboys' new $1 billion football stadium is completed in 2009 that the Big 12 football title game might go there and stay long term.
If that happened, Kansas City has been seen as a likely anchor site for the basketball tournaments.
Said Gray: "We would love that to be the case, if that happens."
To monitor proceedings, the KC Sports Commission will send a delegation to the Big 12 spring meetings later this month. The Omaha Sports Commission won't.
"There is a time and place to go to those kinds of meetings," Morrissey said. "We just didn't feel as if our presence was necessary there."
