Mid-American Conference (MAC) & Greater Cleveland Sports Commission will serve as hosts for the 2020 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship First & Second Rounds at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

CLEVELAND, OH -- The NCAA has announced today that the Mid-American Conference (MAC) & Greater Cleveland Sports Commission will serve as hosts for the 2020 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship First & Second Rounds in Cleveland, Ohio. The games will be played at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday, March 20 and Sunday, March 22, 2020. 

This will mark the fourth time that Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has hosted a Division I NCAA Basketball Championship event after serving as the site for the 2007 Division I Women’s Basketball Final Four, 2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Second & Third Rounds and the 2015 NCAA Men’s Basketball Midwest Regional.

“The award of the 2020 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball First and Second Round is testimony to the faith and trust the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee has in the Mid-American Conference and in Cleveland,” said Dr. Jon Steinbrecher, Commissioner of the Mid-American Conference. “We have spent considerable time and effort in building our relationship with the NCAA Championship staff to showcase the Mid-American Conference, the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse as a special partnership designed to deliver first-class championship events.  Our success in hosting the 2015 Division I Men’s Basketball Regional and our dedication and preparation for the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championship next March are examples of this confidence in Cleveland. The MAC and its partners have always been committed to conducting first-class, fiscally responsible events. We look forward to hosting the Men’s Basketball First and Second Round in 2020 at The Q.”

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has served as the venue for the MAC Men’s Basketball Tournament since 2000 and the MAC Women’s Basketball Tournament since 2001. The Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Q is the longest running neutral site men’s tournament other than the Big East men’s tournament at Madison Square Garden.

“Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is proud to have been selected to host the 2020 NCAA Men's Basketball 1st & 2nd Rounds in partnership with the Mid-American Conference and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. Attracting major events like the Men's Basketball 1st & 2nd Rounds is not only exciting for fans of college basketball across the region but also brings a significant economic impact for our community,” said Len Komoroski, Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse CEO. “We look forward to the tradition of NCAA Men's Basketball action returning to Cleveland.”

In 2020, Dayton will host the First Four March 17th & 18th and the eight cities hosting first-and-second round games March 19-22 will be Albany, N.Y., Cleveland, Ohio, St. Louis, Mo., Omaha, Neb., Greensboro, N.C., Tampa, Fla., Sacramento, Calif. and Spokane, Wash. The four regional sites include New York, N.Y., Indianapolis, Ind., Houston, Tex. and Los Angeles, Calif. and those games will be played March 26-29. The 2020 Men’s Basketball Championship will conclude at the Final Four in Atlanta, Ga. April 3 and 5th.

Mid-American Conference
Founded in 1946, the Mid-American Conference is an NCAA Division I, 12-member conference that sponsors 23 championships and is one of ten members of the Football Bowl Subdivison (FBS). With total enrollment of nearly 300,000 students, the league represents institutions of higher learning in five (5) states - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, and Ohio.

Current MAC schools that hold full membership and the year they joined are -- East Division: University of Akron (1992), Bowling Green State University (1952), University at Buffalo (1998), Kent State University (1951), Miami University (1947), Ohio University (1946). West Division: Ball State University (1973), Central Michigan University (1971), Eastern Michigan University (1971), Northern Illinois University (1975-86, rejoined in 1997), University of Toledo (1950), Western Michigan University (1947).  The conference office is based in Cleveland, Ohio.

About the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission
Since 2000, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (GCSC) is responsible for attracting more than 170 sporting events which have contributed over $500 million in economic activity to Northeast Ohio. GCSC supports the local economy, utilizes sports as a vehicle to forward community agendas and maintains a goal of producing events that are more successful when held in Cleveland than in other cities. For more information, visit clevelandsports.org.