With the upcoming expansion of the NCAA Tournament, several cities came calling for an opportunity to host the additional games on the schedule.

Sioux Falls was one of the cities to make a bid on the opportunity to host in the years ahead. Our city has played host to several marquee events of late, including US Olympic Curling Team Trials, and numerous NCAA Championship events and contests.

Unfortunately, it was announced on Thursday that Wichita had been selected to be the host city this time around. Dayton has traditionally been the lone host of the Tournament's 'First Four' games and will now be joined by Wichita.

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Here's a link to the press release confirming Thursday's news.

According to the release:

The NCAA this week awarded Wichita, Kansas, the hosting rights for the Opening Round of the 2027 and 2028 Division I Men’s Basketball Championships.

Wichita and Dayton, Ohio, which has served as the host city for the start of the tournament since 2001, both will host three games each day on the Tuesday and Wednesday after Selection Sunday. The change was necessitated by the decision in May to expand the tournament field from 68 to 76 teams.

Wichita was selected from several cities that expressed interest in hosting the Opening Round. The Division I Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee on Thursday approved the selection recommendation from the Men’s Basketball Committee.

Wichita’s hosting history dates to the 1956 tournament, when the first round of the Midwest Regional was played at Levitt Arena, which eventually staged 24 tournament games over eight tournaments through 1981. The Kansas Coliseum hosted first- and second-round games in 1994, while InTrust Bank Arena did the same in 2018 and 2025. InTrust Bank Arena will serve as the Opening Round venue the next two years.

UD Arena in Dayton has hosted 145 tournament games, the most of any venue in tournament history. That total ranks second for any city, trailing only Indianapolis, which has hosted 169 games at six facilities.

Here's more from CBSSports.com:

Wichita beat out seven other finalists, sources told CBS Sports, including Albuquerque, New Mexico; Des Moines, Iowa and other cities west of the Mississippi River.

Wichita's geographically central location was a major selling point for the committee as it prepares for a major change with the expanded 76-team field. The city's hotel capacity and passionate local fan base were also major selling points, sources said.

The bid process was competitive, sources said, with several finalists putting on a big push in recent weeks for the chance to host the NCAA Tournament. But Wichita's proximity and location in the Central Time Zone were ultimately critical.

Sioux Falls and other interested cities will have their next opportunity to bid on Tournament hosting around the corner for the 2029, 2030, and 2031 NCAA Tournaments.

Sources: Pete Thamel on X, CBS Sports and NCAA.org - Official Athletics Website