July 9, 2004

DAYTON -- The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee has announced that the "Road To The Final Four" will begin in Dayton for the eighth straight year. The committee released the sites for the 2007 and 2008 NCAA Championships on Thursday, and it was disclosed that the University of Dayton Arena will host the Opening Round game in both years.

It had already been announced that the UD Arena will be a First and Second Round site for the 2006 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. The 2006 First and Second Round Games will be played in Dayton on March 15 and 17. In addition, the men's basketball committee had previously asked that the University host the NCAA Opening Round games for 2005 and 2006. The Arena has been the site of the Opening Round each since its inception in 2001.

The dates for the next four Opening Round games are March 15, 2005; March 14, 2006; March 13, 2007; and March 18, 2008.

"The University of Dayton is proud that the Men's Basketball Committee has chosen to continue to bring the NCAA tournament to Dayton," Ted Kissell, UD Vice-President and Director of Athletics said. "The coaches and players can count on great fan support at the University of Dayton Arena. The Arena has earned its reputation as one of the best college basketball venues in the country, and our fans are a big part of that. Our staff, and truthfully, our entire community, will do everything we can to give the participants a terrific tournament experience in Dayton."

When the 2008 NCAA tournament is over, UD Arena will have been an NCAA site in 22 of the last 39 years, and will have hosted 74 NCAA tournament games. That will make UD Arena the third-most prolific NCAA tournament venue behind Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City (83) and the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City (81).