Missouri a Hotbed for College Hoops
Jefferson City, Mo. – Air up the basketball and grab your high-tops because basketball’s postseason is heating up, and when it comes to college hoops, there’s no place hotter than Missouri.
Two major basketball events begin Wednesday in Missouri, with Kansas City’s Sprint Center playing host to the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament and College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout hosting the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament.
In Big 12 play, the University of Missouri Tigers (22-9 overall), who earned the tournament’s No. 5 seed, will play rival Nebraska (14-17), the No. 12 seed, at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Should the Tigers advance – and they’ve already beaten Nebraska twice this year, both times by double digits – they’ll face Texas A&M (22-8) at 2 p.m. Thursday.
Another major hoops event in Kansas City is the Women’s Big 12 Tournament, which tips off Thursday at Municipal Auditorium. The Missouri Tigers (12-17) are the No. 12 seed, and they’ll face the fifth-seeded Texas Longhorns (21-9) at 1:30 p.m. If the Tigers win, they’ll have a 1:30 p.m. Friday contest against No. 4 seed Texas A&M (22-7).
While you’re in Kansas City, www.VisitKC.com, and in the mood for hoops, be sure to visit the College Basketball Experience, www.CollegeBasketballExperience.com. Here, you’ll be able to go center court to shoot hoops, play a friendly game of H-O-R-S-E or just hone your skills. You’ll also have the chance to “beat the clock” in a shooting game or stroll through the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, which occupies about one-third of the overall site. As part of the Big 12 tournament, the conference also is hosting The Ultimate Big 12 Fan Experience, www.VisitKC.com/big-12-basketball-kc/fan-fest/index.aspx, just outside the Sprint Center.
If you’d rather explore Kansas City for its cultural opportunities, be sure to visit the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, www.Nelson-Atkins.org, which is celebrating its 75th year with the special exhibit, “Magnificent Gifts for the 75th,” or see the Shen Yun performance, www.ShenYunPerformingArts.org/kc, on March13-14 at the Music Hall downtown.
On Thursday, the Missouri Valley Women’s Basketball Tournament will begin at The Family Arena, http://familyarena.com/, in St. Charles, www.historicstcharles.com/visitors.aspx. The opening-round games are 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., with quarterfinal action starting at noon Friday. The Missouri State University Lady Bears’ (20-9 overall) first game is 8:30 p.m. Friday against Wichita State (16-13). If the Lady Bears advance, they’ll play again at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The tournament’s championship game is slated to begin at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
At Point Lookout, the host College of the Ozarks Bobcats (20-10) will face Cornerstone, Mich., (27-6) at 8 p.m. March 10 in Keeter Gymnasium. Should the Bobcats move on, they’ll play at 7:30 p.m. Friday and face the winner of the McPherson, Kan., and Dakota Wesleyan, S.D., matchup.
While you’re at Point Lookout, located near Branson, be sure to visit Missouri’s entertainment capital, where live music and fun are part of the daily routine. The variety of shows is unmatched, and you’ll find performances ranging from “Breakfast with Mark Twain and Normal Rockwell,” www.BransonSuperstars.com, to the Acrobats of China featuring the New Shanghai Circus, www.AcrobatsOfChina.com. While in Branson, be sure to stop by the Titanic Museum, www.TitanicBranson.com, which is celebrating the lives of the Irish men and women who built and sailed on the ship (through March 31).
If you think Kansas City has seen its share of hoops action with the Big 12 tournaments, think again. The city also will host the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament from March 17-23. The field for this event has not yet been set, but you can keep up with the latest news online at http://naia.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/2010Championship.html. Additionally, Kansas City’s Sprint Center will host Regional Finals (Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds) of the NCAA Women’s Division I Tournament. Games are slated for 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. March 28 and 8 p.m. March 30.
The city of St. Joseph, www.StJoMo.com, which has its fair share of celebrations planned this year around the Pony Express Sesquicentennial, www.PonyExpress.org, also will be getting in on the excitement of college basketball when it hosts the Elite 8 and Final Four rounds and the Championship game of the NCAA Women’s Division II Championship Tournament on March 23-24 and 26. Games will be played at St. Joseph Civic Arena, www.ci.st-joseph.mo.us/parks/arena.cfm, with Missouri Western University, www.MissouriWestern.edu, serving as host. Drury University in Springfield, www.Drury.edu, and Central Missouri University, Warrensburg, www.ucmo.edu, are among the teams competing in this tournament.
If you want to see some of the city’s sights between games, consider stops at the Jesse James Home, www.stjomo.com/jessejameshomemuseum.aspx, the St. Joseph Museum, the Black Archives, the Wyeth Tootle Mansion and the Glore Psychiatric Museum (information on each can be found at www.StJosephMuseum.org) and the Pony Express National Museum, www.PonyExpress.org.
While the western side of Missouri has the lion’s share of collegiate hoops events, part of what’s perhaps the largest basketball event in the nation, the Men’s NCAA Division I Tournament (March Madness), will make a stop in St. Louis, www.ExploreStLouis.com, this year. The Midwest Regional (Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds) will be contested March 26 and 28 at the Edward Jones Dome.
With a day off between games, and only one game on March 28, you’ll have plenty of time to explore St. Louis, whether you’re interested in a stop at the Gateway Arch, www.GatewayArch.com, a visit to the St. Louis Art Museum, www.Slam.org, or seeing what the animals are up to at the Saint Louis Zoo, www.StlZoo.org.
Other sights to see in St. Louis include the City Garden sculpture park, www.CityGardenStl.org, the World Aquarium, www.WorldAquarium.org, or the St. Louis Science Center, www.slsc.org. And don’t forget the area’s many state parks and historic sites, including Route 66 State Park in Eureka, www.MoStateParks.com/route66.htm, the First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site in St. Charles, www.MoStateParks.com/firstcapitol.htm, or the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site in St. Louis, www.MoStateParks.com/scottjoplin.htm.
In the coming weeks, Missouri might just be the basketball capital of the Midwest, but there’s more to the Show-Me State than exciting college hoops action. To learn more about attractions around Missouri, or to order a free copy of the Official 2010 Missouri Travel Guide, log on to www.VisitMO.com, or call 800-519-4800.
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Contact:
Stephen Foutes
Missouri Division of Tourism
573-751-3208
Stephen.Foutes@ded.mo.gov
