MAY 2026

by | Aug 17, 2026

The NCAA expands the tournament from 68 to 76 teams and rebrands the First Four as the March Madness Opening Round. Dayton remains a host, with six Opening Round games played over two days and six additional games held in Wichita, Kansas.

MARCH 2025

by | Aug 28, 2025

TNT Sports and CBS Sports deliver record-setting Viewership for the 2025 First Four: Most watched NCAA First Four under Traditional Format, Grossing 7.4M viewers on truTV (up 20% from 2024) Xavier’s Win vs. Texas on Wednesday was the Most-Watched First Four Game...

OCTOBER 2024

by | Oct 10, 2024

NCAA extends agreement with The University of Dayton to host the NCAA Tournament First Four through at least 2028.
MARCH 2024

MARCH 2024

by | Sep 25, 2024

The Big Hoopla had the honor of hosting 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh, winner of Miss America 2024, at the First Four. During her visit, Marsh, the first active duty military officer to win the title of Miss America, visited with students, service people, and basketball fans...

NOVEMBER 2023

by | Nov 25, 2023

A testament to The Big Hoopla’s commitment to promoting and putting a spotlight on the Dayton region, the organization was selected as Community Supporter of the Year at the Dayton Business Journal 2023 Business of the Year Awards.

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