Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
The Ivy League is bringing its men\u2019s and women\u2019s conference basketball tournaments to Allentown. <\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the league announced that it has agreed to a three-year deal with the PPL Center to make the arena home to Ivy Madness starting in 2028. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms arena was selected due to its \u201ccentralized location within the league\u2019s geographic footprint,\u201d according to a release.<\/a> The conference previously employed a rotation for the tournament around all eight of its teams\u2019 arenas. <\/p>\n \u201cWe are incredibly excited to bring Ivy Madness to PPL Center and the surrounding communities beginning in 2028,\u201d Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris said in a release. \u201cIvy Madness has grown into an incredible celebration of our student-athletes, institutions and the competitive excellence of Ivy League basketball.<\/p>\n \u201cThe PPL Center provides a neutral site in a first-class venue, a vibrant downtown setting and a location that is accessible to so many of our alumni and fans. We believe this partnership creates an exciting opportunity to continue elevating the championship experience for our student-athletes and Ivy League basketball overall.\u201d<\/p>\n Penn will host Ivy Madness this season as a part of the Palestra\u2019s 100th anniversary celebration. Dartmouth was originally scheduled to host the tournament but relinquished the opportunity because of the celebration. The Big Green are the only team in the Ivy League to never host the tournament after the rotating schedule began after 2018. <\/p>\n