KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will remain at T-Mobile Center through 2031, commissioner Brett Yormark said Tuesday night, shortly before Texas and Iowa State played for the women’s title in the building for the first time.
The women’s tournament had long been played down the street from the glitzy downtown arena at Municipal Auditorium, which has tremendous history as one of the homes of early NCAA championship games but has grown antiquated over time.
One of Yormark’s priorities after taking over leadership of the Big 12 was to raise the profile of the women’s tournament, and that meant moving it to the T-Mobile Center. That also required moving the dates of the championship, with early-round games occurring last week and the title game Tuesday night following the first two games of the men’s tournament.
“I think I said to many last year, when I came here the first time to the community, met with many of the leaders, it was a real easy decision when I went back to Dallas that we needed to double down on this community,” Yormark said. “It feels like a Super Bowl each time we’re here. The fan support is tremendous. The community is tremendous.”
The men’s and women’s tournaments were scheduled to be played in Kansas…
