American Athletic Conference taking its postseason basketball tourneys to Birmingham and Tampa

IRVING, Texas (AP) — The American Athletic Conference is taking its postseason basketball tournaments to two new venues for the league after a five-year run in Texas.

The AAC announced Friday that both men’s and women’s tournaments will be played next year at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. The Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida, will host in 2027 and 2028.

AAC athletic directors approved the venues and cities that will be first-time hosts for those league tournaments. All four finalists for the new sites were home cities of AAC members, with the other finalists being past host Memphis, Tennessee, and Wichita, Kansas.

The basketball tournaments were held the past five seasons at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. That venue was also set to host the AAC men in 2020 before conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament were canceled that year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are thrilled to bring our basketball championships to Birmingham and Tampa,” AAC Commissioner Tim Pernetti said. “Our top priority when we began this bid process was to deliver the best possible experience for our student-athletes. The ability of Birmingham and Tampa to accommodate both championships and the year-round support that we will receive from their respective local committees will help to make these events an unforgettable experience for our players and fans.”

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball