The Ohio Valley Conference Board of Presidents have voted to award the 2019 and 2020 OVC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships to the Evansville Sports Corporation for the event to be held at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
The event was held for the first time in Evansville this year, the first time the Championship was held outside of Nashville since 2002.
The date of the 2019 OVC Basketball Championship is March 6-9 while the 2020 Championship will be held March 4-7.
“After thorough and thoughtful consideration, the OVC membership decided to award the 2019 and 2020 OVC Basketball Championships to the City of Evansville based on a number of factors, including outstanding local leadership, the success of this past year’s championships, and the quality of the Ford Center,” said OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche. “We are delighted to again have the opportunity to work with our partners in Evansville and are excited to start building on the terrific foundation that was laid with the 2018 OVC Basketball Championships.”
The Ford Center, which opened in 2011, is an 11,000-seat arena located in the core of Evansville’s downtown district. The 290,000-square foot facility serves as home of Evansville Thunderbolts of the Southern Professional Hockey League and the University of Evansville men’s basketball team. The Ford Center also serves as host to numerous sporting events and concerts on an annual basis.
Evansville is the third-largest city in the state of Indiana with a population of nearly 120,000 in the city limit and 300,000 people in the metropolitan area.
The OVC Basketball Tournament is the fourth-oldest Division I Championship in the country; the men’s event was held for the 55th time this past season. The Murray State men’s basketball team and the Belmont women’s program claimed this year’s championships.
