Houston named a finalist to host another men's basketball Final Four in 2030s

Only four cities have hosted more men's college basketball Final Fours than Houston and now Clutch City could be getting another one.

The NCAA announced Tuesday that the city is one of seven finalists to host a Final Four in 2032-36. That's five spots open for the seven finalists that also include Denver, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Nashville and New Orleans.

NCAA staff and committee members plan to meet with city officials and visit each location before representatives from each city make their case during the NCAA basketball committee summer meetings in Naples, Florida. A decision on the locations is expected in July.

If Houston is selected, it would be the fourth Final Four played at Reliant Stadium, which hosted in 2011, 2016 and 2023. The 1971 Final Four was played at the Astrodome.

Only Kansas City (10), Indianapolis (9), New Orleans (6) and Louisville (6) have hosted more times than Houston, although a Final Four hasn't been played in Louisville since 1967.

If Kansas City is awarded a Final Four it would be the city's first since 1988. Indianapolis, which is home to the NCAA's national headquarters, has been a popular choice recently, having hosted the event six times in the 2000s. It also is on the docket to host in 2029, which would make it 10 Final Fours overall for the city. New Orleans last hosted in 2022, while Denver hasn't had a Final Four since 1990. Las Vegas will host its first Final Four in 2028 and Nashville has never had a Final Four.

This season's Final Four will be in Detroit, with Arlington's AT&T Stadium hosting in 2030 and Atlanta getting it in 2031.

"We are grateful for the record number of cities that expressed interest in hosting the men's Final Four, which continues to be one of the world's preeminent sporting events," Samford athletic director and chair of the NCAA's basketball committee Martin Newton said. "Narrowing it down to seven cities to host during this five-year cycle was challenging for the committee. We have a terrific blend of experienced host cities and potential newcomers, each of which we are confident will demonstrate that their competition venue, hotels and infrastructure will deliver at the level our participating teams have come to expect at the Final Four." 

San Antonio, which is hosting the women's Final Four in 2029, is one of seven finalists to host a women's Final Four between 2032-36. That list of finalists also include: Detroit, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, New Orleans and Phoenix.

The NCAA also announced it will study the feasibility of hosting the men's and women's Final Fours at the same location on the same weekend, but would do so no earlier than 2037.

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This article originally published at Houston named a finalist to host another men's basketball Final Four in 2030s.