New Orleans will host its sixth Final Four in 2022, the NCAA has announced.
When the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament culminates in the Big Easy, it will mark a 10-year gap between Final Fours in NOLA. The 2012 NCAAs in New Orleans featured Kentucky winning against Kansas in the final.
"New Orleans traditionally has been one of the most popular Final Four cities and has provided several iconic championship moments that will be celebrated as anniversaries in 2022," NCAA director of communications David Worlock said.
Added Dan Gavitt: "New Orleans has an incredibly rich history of hosting the Final Four, and for a variety of reasons it was determined that 2022 was the perfect year to bring the event back to the Crescent City," said the vice president for men's basketball championships. "New Orleans is a festive place that embraces this event and makes it special for participating student-athletes and fans. With a little luck, we'll get some of the same Final Four magic we've been treated to in the past."
New Orleans was chosen in a different way this time -- not through a traditional selection process that most cities normally go through in order to put forth bids to host. New Orleans missed out the last time, so this particular selection was one of common sense-led pragmatism. Few cities match New Orleans for its culture, creativity and overall praise when it comes to hosting major sporting events.
"With the Final Four competing for many of the same venues that host major events such as the Super Bowl and College Football Playoff, we did not want to wait until 2018 to make the announcement for the 2022 Final Four," Gavitt said.
Smart move by the NCAA here. The 2022 Final Four will mark the 40-year anniversary of Michael Jordan hitting the winning shot that put North Carolina over Georgetown for the 1981-82 national title. The home of the New Orleans Saints, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, will once again host.
"The Superdome will join Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri, New York City's Madison Square Garden and Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, as the only venues that have hosted at least six national championship games," per the NCAA.
The Final Four is set for the next six seasons, as Phoenix will host in 2017, then in order, San Antonio, Minneapolis, Atlanta and Indianapolis will have Final Four host duties. In a year from now the NCAA will open its bid process up to cities around the country for hosting the Final Four in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
