Kansas City, MO. -- Kansas City’s love affair with college basketball couldn’t be more obvious than during the next month, as the city prepares to host major tournaments for the Big 12 Conference, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Tickets remain for all tournaments but the Big 12 Men’s Championship.

Kansas City will roll out the red carpet during the month of March, hosting 72 teams and 67 tournament games over 17 days. The Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association estimates the combined economic impact of all the tournaments to be more than $18.4 million.

More details on each tournament follow.

2008 MIAA Postseason Men's and Women's Basketball Championships
March 6-9, Municipal Auditorium
Tickets: 816-421-6422 (ext. 203) or themiaa.com

• Sixth consecutive year in Kansas City
• The MIAA is a NCAA Division II Conference made up of 10 institutions in Missouri and Kansas. More than 60,000 area alumni attended these schools, six of which are within a two-hour drive to Kansas City.
• 16 teams (8 men’s and 8 women’s) will vie for the conference’s two titles in a single-elimination format.
• Special events include an MIAA Rally inside the Kansas City Power & Light District (March 7, 2-6 p.m.).
• For more information, visit themiaa.com.

• Eighth year in Kansas City. KC last hosted in 2005.
• Special events include the WIN for KC Reading and Fitness Challenge (March 11-12), Youth Night (March 11) and Ladies Night (March 13).
• A Big 12 Fan Fest will be held inside the Kansas City Power & Light District with live entertainment, interactive fan stations and local jazz musicians.
• Spirit rallies for the Women’s Championship will be held on level two of the Kansas City Convention Center.
• For more information, go to VisitKC.com/big12basketball.

• Eighth year in Kansas City and first appearance in Sprint Center. KC last hosted in 2005.
• A Big 12 Fan Fest will be held inside the Kansas City Power & Light District with live entertainment, interactive fan stations and local jazz musicians.
• Spirit rallies for the Men’s Championship will be held in the parking lot across from Sprint Center.
• For more information, go to VisitKC.com/big12basketball.

• Currently the longest-running collegiate national championship of any sport in the country.
• This is the 45th time the tournament has been held at Municipal (1937-74 and 2002-present).
• The NAIA serves nearly 300 of America’s and Canada’s finest accredited small colleges and universities.
• The competition will host 32 teams in a 31-game, single-elimination format. The field of participants includes 16 conference qualifiers, one independent qualifier and 15 at-large bids.
• Special events include an NAIA Fan Fest (March 19-22), Youth Day (March 22), Rotary Night (March 22), Special Olympics Day (March 23) and Chamber Night (March 24).
• For more information, visit naiahoopskc.org

Download Related Images

Photo Credit:  Photos Courtesy of the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association

	College Basketball Experience, rendering #1 Caption: Located in the new Sprint Center, this attraction celebrates college basketball by placing visitors in electrifying, game-like situations. Download:  Low-Res; High-Res
	College Basketball Experience, rendering #2 Caption: Operated by the National Association of College Basketball Coaches, the new attraction features the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Download:  Low-Res; High-Res
	Sprint Center, rendering Caption: Sprint Center opened in downtown Kansas City in October 2007. Photo Credit: Downtown Arena Design Team Download:  Low-Res; High-Res