Des Moines officials say any expansion of the NCAA basketball tournament would neither hurt or help in their efforts to make Wells Fargo Arena a future site. There is the possibility that the tournament may expand from 65 to 96 teams.
Greg Edwards is president of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau and he says any expansion would add two more days and more teams to each site. Edwards says one of their challenges is getting enough hotels with room blocks for the teams, as he says the NCAA is particular about having each team stay in similar hotels.
Edwards says the next time Des Moines is expected to make a bid is 2011. He says they’ve been trying to win a bid since the work started on Wells Fargo Arena. Edwards says NCAA officials tell them to keep trying.
Edwards says the sites are awarded a few years before they actually host a regional. He says it’s about a two year in advance cycle for the tournaments. Edwards says the next time Des Moines could be named a site would be in the summer of 2011.