The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament will return to PPG Paints Arena in 2027 for the sixth time, with Duquesne back as the host school, SportsPITTSBURGH and the Pittsburgh Bid Committee announced Wednesday.
It will be the eighth time since 1997 that first- and second-round games will be held in Pittsburgh. A total of 55,846 people attended three sessions of the basketball tournament this year at PPG Paints Arena.
Mellon Arena was the site for the first two in 1997 and 2002.
“As a host, it gives us national visibility, just keeps us, obviously, in the rotation where we want to be part of hosting NCAA Tournaments,” Duquesne athletic director Dave Harper told TribLive in March.
“It’s an important piece for all of us,” he said, referencing SportsPittsburgh, PPG Paints Arena and Duquesne. “As long as we’re honored enough to be chosen, we’ll do it.”
The popular basketball tournament is one of eight NCAA preliminary and championship events scheduled for Pittsburgh from 2026-28, the most in that cycle of any U.S. city.
“All eyes continue to be on Pittsburgh as a top destination for sporting events,” Jerad Bachar, President & CEO of VisitPITTSBURGH, said in a statement. “The team pulled together an extensive bid portfolio last year, and what makes our proposals stand out is the strong focus and support of our local community. We’re fortunate to have strong partnerships across the Pittsburgh Bid Committee, and we’re excited to continue our collaboration to bring these events to life.
“We can’t wait to welcome hundreds of thousands of athletes, families and fans from across the country to the City of Champions.”
The tournament games will follow by one year the NFL Draft that is coming to Pittsburgh in 2026.
Other events scheduled for Pittsburgh are:
• 2027 Division III Men’s Basketball Championship, with the Presidents’ Athletic Conference serving as host at Duquesne’s UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
• 2027 National Collegiate Bowling Championship, hosted by Duquesne at the AMF Lanes in Mt. Lebanon. Duquesne was host for the Bowling Regionals in 2023 and 2024 and will do so again in 2025 and 2026. The 2027 national championship will be Duquesne’s first as host.
• 2027 Division III Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships, hosted by the Presidents’ Athletic Conference at Highmark Stadium.
• 2027 Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship, hosted by the Presidents’ Athletic Conference at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
• 2028 Division II Wrestling Championships, hosted by Pitt-Johnstown at Petersen Events Center.
• 2028 Division III Men’s Basketball Championship, hosted by the Presidents’ Athletic Conference at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
• 2028 Division III Men’s Volleyball Championship, hosted by the Presidents’ Athletic Conference at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
“Owning the ability to showcase the Pittsburgh region through NCAA Championships, thanks to a continued strong partnership with VisitPITTSBURGH and SportsPITTSBURGH is something that Duquesne University and its athletics department is extremely proud of,” Harper said in a statement. “The relationships we’ve built with both PPG Paints Arena as well as AMF Mt. Lebanon Lanes and the success we’ve had in hosting past championships allows Duquesne University to continue to provide a world-class experience for the programs that are chosen to come to Pittsburgh as well as their student-athletes and fans.”
“We’re always excited for NCAA events to come to our city,” SportsPITTSBURGH Director, Sports Event Development Brady Inners said. “Sure, we have a lot of work ahead of us, but we’re fortunate to have such strong partnerships with the NCAA, host institutions, venues and community — and we love to see the camaraderie Pittsburghers pride ourselves on amplified by these competitions.”
In addition to the events coming to the Pittsburgh area, Penn State has been selected to host four national or regional championships: the 2027 Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Regional, 2028 Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Regional (Allentown), 2028 National Collegiate Men’s and Women’s Fencing Championships and the 2028 National Collegiate Men’s Gymnastics Championships.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.