Mid-major fans, you have spoken loud and clear: Wichita, Kan., is pretty clearly a fan-favorite pick to join Dayton as a host city for what is formerly known as the First Four of the NCAA Tournament in 2027 and 2028.
We asked last week if you all thought Wichita was the right choice to join the Dayton Flyers of Ohio as hosts, and over 70% of respondents said yes to the home of the Shockers.
“We’ve been granted a tremendous opportunity, but I think our obligation is massive as a community, to put ourselves in a position in a couple of years where the NCAA walks away and says, ‘why would we go anywhere else?’” Wichita State Athletic Director Kevin Saal said to KSNW last week. “Just like Dayton. Dayton got in in 2001, and they’ve continuously bid and have crushed it as a community. We need to do the same so that we can be sitting here two decades from now talking about hosting the opening round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.”
The “yes” answers got me thinking: what makes Wichita stand out so much? So, I did what any blogger would do and did a peep on Wikipedia.
Did you know…
- Wichita is the largest city in the Sunflower State.
- Wichita is where White Castle and Pizza Hut were founded.
- A number of Oil Tycoons made their money in the city, including Fred C. Koch, who established what would become Koch, Inc. – the second-largest private corporation in the country.
- INTRUST Bank Arena will host the Tournament and is the second-largest indoor arena in the state.
- Wichita was dubbed the “Air Capital of the World” in 1929.
- Dennis the Menace and Ted Lasso are from Wichita.
So, if you are a fan of any of the above, or just basketball in general, you are probably a fan of the NCAA Tournament coming to the city. I am sure some of the most diehard college basketball fans will make the pilgrimage to Wichita, as they have done to Dayton since the tournament expanded to 68, and before that, going back to 2001.
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