HUNTSVILLE – Conference college basketball tournaments provide the introduction into March Madness each spring, and hoop aficionados in the Tennessee Valley won’t have to travel far to get a taste of the 2024 version.
Tickets are on sale for the Conference USA Championships for men and women at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville. The event is set for March 12-16. Passes for all eight sessions can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com and range from $200 to $500 each.
Sponsoring partners are the city of Huntsville, Huntsville Sports Commission, Downtown Huntsville Inc., the Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Knight-Eady. The agreement with the CUSA is for two years with an opportunity to extend the deal.
CUSA is headquartered in Dallas and has been holding the tournament in Frisco, Texas. Conference Commissioner Judy MacLeod is hoping the new location makes it easier for fans to follow their school to the Tennessee Valley.
Texas-El Paso, Sam Houston and New Mexico State will travel far to get here, but more teams in the conference, such as Jacksonville State and Middle Tennessee State, are nearby. Other league teams are in Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana and Virginia.
“Fans came (to Frisco), but it was hard,” MacLeod told 256 Today. “They can come in droves now and experience everything the city has to offer.
“We think it’s a great place for us. We hope to get a lot of local support and build on this.”
John Hamilton, the city administrator, wants downtown around the VBC, Big Spring Park and CityCentre to have a “festival-like” atmosphere and suggested visitors could also visit places away from downtown such Monte Sano State Park, MidCity, the Space & Rocket City and Bridge Street.
“Those types of things,” he said.
For information for city attractions, hotels and lodging, dining and nightlife visit www.huntsvilleal.com.
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