Utah Valley will host the 2028 NCAA Tournament

SALT LAKE CITY— The host is Utah Valley University the first and second rounds of the 2028 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Delta Center, home of the Utah Jazz and the Utah Hockey Club.

The NCAA announced the venues for the 2027 and 2028 preliminary rounds on Wednesday, October 2nd.

UVU's appointment as Salt Lake's host means Utah and BYU can play there. https://t.co/LdA7c6gjFt

— Jeremy Mauss (@JeremyMauss) October 2, 2024

“We are incredibly excited and honored to be named a host school for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament,” said Dr. Jared Sumsion, Utah Valley University athletics director, in a press release. “This opportunity underscores the progress of our athletics program and demonstrates the NCAA’s confidence in Utah Valley and our ability to host world-class events.”

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“This is a great day not only for UVU Athletics, but also for basketball fans in the state of Utah,” Sumsion added. “We look forward to working with Delta Center and Salt Lake City to continue to bring the excitement of March Madness to our region.”

The Delta Center will host in collaboration with UVU staff. The Wolverine men's basketball program has never advanced to March Madness since joining Division 1 in 2013.

Could Utah-based schools stay in SLC?

The first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament are scheduled in “pods” with two groups of four teams each from the four regions (East, South, Midwest, West). The NCAA selection committee is seeking to limit travel early in the round by dividing teams into “pods” closer to home if it doesn't conflict with seeding rules. Each capsule contains a top four seed, meaning higher-ranked teams will have priority in site selection.

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Given the unpredictability of college athletics, it would be pointless to speculate about whether a Beehive State school could benefit from a great regular season. There is a possibility that hosting UVU would not prevent Utah, BYU, Weber State and Utah State from playing the first two rounds in Salt Lake due to seeding rules.

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Brian Preece is a KSLsports.com insider covering locals in the MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian's Bees and Beehive baseball coverage here.

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