Friday, March 21, 2025

Question: Which Ohio city annually hosts the First Four round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament?

Answer: Dayton. In 2001, the NCAA added a play-in game for the NCAA Tournament. From 2001-2010, that game was always played at University of Dayton Arena. In 2011, the tournament expanded again and the First Four was created. Every First Four game—except during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021—has also been played at UD Arena.

This year, North Carolina and Xavier won the play-in games for the 11 seed, while Alabama State and Mount St. Mary’s won the 16 seed play-in games.