Dayton, Ohio has been the sole host of the NCAA Tournament's First Four games since its inception.
The home arena for the Dayton Flyers has been the host of the First Four games that take place on Tuesday and Wednesday evening during the first week of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Two games on Tuesday night followed by two games on Wednesday night – featuring No. 11 seeds and No. 16 seeds, respectively – lead into the full first round games on Thursday and Friday.
But as the NCAA Tournament is set to expand to 76 teams, Dayton, Ohio will no longer be the sole host of the opening games.
DAYTON, OH – MARCH 15: Rashaun Madison #3 of the North Carolina Central Eagles dribbles the ball in the first half against the UC Davis Aggies during the First Four game in the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 15, 2017 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)Joe Robbins/Getty Images.
Longtime college basketball reporter Andy Katz shares that the NCAA Tournament will be seeking at least one more opening round site to pair with Dayton, Ohio for the first games in the Big Dance.
Katz already has an arena in mind, too.
NCAA Tournament will add second opening round site
Katz believes that New Mexico could be the ideal home.
"The men’s basketball committee will seek a second opening round site to pair with Dayton. I would love to see it be Albuquerque. And it’s not just because I spent the first five years of my career covering games at the Pit. Albuquerque, like Dayton, would support NCAA Tournament games that don’t involve their home team. That has to be a must for the committee in choosing a second site. The Pit history (see 1983 for starters) with the NCAA Tournament should mean something in this process," he wrote on Monday.
The NCAA Tournament has yet to announce its official opening round site plans, though it sounds like New Mexico could be an ideal choice.
This story was originally published by The Spun on May 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
