A new people’s playoff competition that will initiate enjoy in Las Vegas in March 2025 is being organized by Fox Sports and entertainment business AEG. This new display, which is committed to featuring dynamic basketball alongside the NCAA Tournament, may have 16 teams from the Big Ten, Big East, and Big 12, conferences that have strongly been covered on Fox Sports.
” Postseason college basketball is one of the most interesting periods of the year, and Fox Sports is proud to be at the forefront of efforts to develop and advance the sport,” according to Fox Sports ‘ executive vice president Jordan Bazant in a statement.
Groups that did not advance to the NCAA Tournament will be able to compete in the College Basketball Crown. Two teams from each of the three participating meetings will be immediately chosen, and a committee will choose 10 additional at-large qualifiers. No specifics were provided regarding the selection criteria, but Seth Davis, a former college basketball writer, suggested that teams with the highest NCAA NET rankings that were excluded from the NCAA Tournament may be required to participate in the first plan released back in September.
Fox and FS1 will heat the game, while AEG Global Partnerships may manage the game’s business sales and funding opportunities. Vivid Seats will be the unique service of tickets for all Crown competition games, promising” a fresh, key end- to- end ticketing experience” for the fans.
From March 31 through April 6, the MGM Grand Garden Arena and T- Mobile Arena will host all of the 2025 tournament games, which will start the day before the NCAA Elite Eight and end the day before the national title game.
” College basketball’s popularity is on the rise”, Brett Yormark, commissioner of the Big 12, said,” and we look forward to being a part of another meaningful postseason moment for our student- athletes”.
The Crown wo n’t be a panacea for the Big East after the conference won just three bids for this year’s NCAA Tournament, but it could make for a more attractive postseason option than the NIT, which had its most opt-outs since the pandemic-related 2021 tournament.
When all eyes turn to CBS and TNT Sports for the men’s NCAA tourney, as well as ESPN and ABC for the women’s bracket, The Crown keeps Fox Sports in the game. The Big East Tournament in early March typically boosts FS1 ratings, so the new event might keep fans of that conference entertained on the days before the NCAA and NIT events.
A Women’s Champions Classic event will debut during the 2024-25 regular season of college basketball in a partnership with Fox Sports and Horizon Sports &, Entertainment in February.