Dayton to host state finals

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Dayton will be home for hoops for the next three seasons.

The OHSAA on Monday announced the boys and girls state championships will be held at the UD Arena on the campus of the University of Dayton.

“We are very excited that our student-athletes will get to play at UD Arena,” OHSAA executive director Doug Ute said in a release. “Even with the pandemic limiting what all could take place at the state tournaments last March, our schools still had a great experience at UD Arena, and UD made it very clear that they wanted to host both the girls and boys state tournaments moving forward.

“We know that the support for basketball in southwest Ohio is very strong and UD wants to be the home of the state tournaments.”

Prior to this season, the boys and girls state tournaments have been held at Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center in Columbus. But because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the March state tournaments were moved to UD Arena, which had already been announced as the site of the girls basketball state finals for the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons. This new agreement replaces the previous contract.

UD Arena, the site of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament’s First Four play-in games, has hosted 125 NCAA tournament games, more than any other facility in the country.

“We are very excited to host the state tournaments at UD Arena,” Scott DeBolt, senior associate athletics director at University of Dayton and UD Arena’s executive director, said in a statement. “In addition to our love of the Dayton Flyers, we are so proud to host many great events here, including the NCAA First Four, and we are pleased and grateful to welcome the OHSAA girls and boys basketball state tournaments to UD Arena.

“Our community will support the state tournaments just like our other events and this will be a special place for the teams, schools and communities that reach the state tournaments.”