DAYTON — In just days, we will know the teams that will come to town to kick off the 2025 NCAA Tournament in Dayton.
The First Four starts at the University of Dayton Arena Tuesday night.
News Center 7’s John Bedell talked to fans and local leaders about what the event does for the Miami Valley.
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“I’m a UD alumni, so I’m a Flyer fan till I’m dead,” Kevin Kelly said.
Kelly and Cleave Baker are both college basketball fans.
Baker already has tickets for Wednesday night’s First Four games before the teams playing are even announced.
“It’s the enthusiasm and the excitement inside the arena is one of the reasons that I go for it,” he said.
Both expect good crowds at UD Arena Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
“We always come out, this is a big, big basketball town. We don’t really care who we’re playing,” Kelly said.
“Since it’s been coming every year, it’s definitely good for the economy,” Baker said.
News Center 7 spoke to Destination Dayton to find out just how much of an impact the first four has on our local economy.
“We estimated that last year’s event brought approximately $5.8 million in estimated direct spending economic impact. And we hope that those numbers are going to come pretty close, or maybe even exceed, who knows, this year,” Jacquelyn Powell, Destination Dayton president and CEO, said.
Powell said the event provides great exposure for the Dayton region.
“It’s really something that we can kind of hang our hat on and, brag about as a community that we’ve been able to keep this wonderful event here for so many years,” she said.
Something that, no matter who your college team is, fans of the Miami Valley recognize too.
“It’s a big attraction and it’s a draw. And it brings people from outside of the community, outside of Ohio to Dayton, and it puts us on the map,” Baker said.
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