Saturday, July 08, 2006

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The City of Jacksonville has been selected to host the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship first and second rounds in 2010 at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, with Jacksonville University serving as the host institution.

The JU Department of Athletics teamed up with the Jacksonville Economic Development Council (JEDC) Sports and Entertainment Board to put together the bid to host again after successfully running the first and second rounds this past March and receiving considerable praise from NCAA officials.

"This is another good thing to happen for Jacksonville University and the City of Jacksonville," said JU Director of Athletics Alan Verlander. "We have created a great partnership between JU, the JEDC and the Arena, and I look forward to working with them to stage another successful tournament in four years."

"This is another great win for the City of Jacksonville and we are extremely pleased that our hard work and persistent efforts paid off to secure the NCAA Tournament for 2010," said JEDC Sports & Entertainment Director Michael Sullivan. "We were very hopeful for this opportunity following the success of the NCAA games in March and are pleased that the city will once again be showcased in a national spotlight."

The return of "March Madness" to the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena gives more basketball flavor to the downtown area. Earlier this summer, JU announced that it will play its home games there starting this season.