Tampa prepares for 2026 NCAA Tournament
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament has arrived in Tampa as the city gets ready to host first and second round games this week. FOX 13’s Briona Arradondo reports.Â
TAMPA, Fla. – The floor is down, the baskets are in place, and the city of Tampa is ready to host the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The blue and black of March Madness is here.
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“You can feel the energy and the excitement starting,” Lanness Robinson, executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, said.
The backstory:
Workers checked the tension of the baskets and electronics for the scoreboard Wednesday as Tampa prepares to host games in the first and second rounds of the college basketball tournament.
“We get the chance to highlight our destination to those coming to town, but then those watching on TV as well. It kind of highlights Tampa on a national stage,” Robinson said.
Timeline:
Robinson said the bid for the opportunity with the NCAA started three to four years ago. The last time the men’s teams came to Tampa was in 2011, so the skyline and waterfront have evolved since then.
“Most of them are staying in the downtown footprint, some near the airport. But they get to see a lot of what we offer here,” Robinson said. “We have the Riverwalk. We have a lot of sunshine, which some of them aren’t experiencing right now.”
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Plus, there are the fans! Twenty thousand seats fill Benchmark International Arena to watch eight teams lay their seasons on the line, especially the state’s defending national champions, the University of Florida Gators.
“When we have participants leave and fans that come and watch the teams, and they have a great time and want to come back to Tampa, not just for a sporting event but just in general, that’s what makes it all worth it,” Robinson said.
Tampa is comfortable with becoming “Tourney Town.” The city hosted the Final Four of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament a record four times, most recently last year.
FOX 13 asked the sports commission what it would take for Tampa to get the men’s Final Four.
What they’re saying:
“I believe the NCAA is looking for what I would call an indoor football stadium, more like a dome. We don’t have one of those in Tampa, so that’s a little bit of a challenge for us to bid on. But you never know what’s coming in the future,” Robinson said.
What’s next:
The first round of the tournament starts on Thursday, with games tipping off here in Tampa on Friday. The second round will get underway on Saturday, and Tampa will host the slate of games on Sunday.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered through an interview with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission by FOX 13’s Briona Arradondo.