Evansville Regional Sports Commission Celebrates Record-Breaking March Madness
Evansville, IN (April 17, 2025) – The Evansville Regional Sports Commission (ERSC) is proud to announce the successful completion of the busiest March in its history. Evansville hosted 33 collegiate basketball games across four championship tournaments in March at the Ford Center, a cornerstone of Evansville’s growing sports scene.
For the eighth consecutive year, the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships returned to Evansville, cementing the city’s reputation as a premier destination for collegiate sports. On the women’s side, #1 seed Tennessee Tech cut down the nets, while the men’s tournament made history with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) capturing its first-ever OVC championship title.
The momentum continued into the second weekend of March, with the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Women’s Basketball Tournament, hosted in Evansville for the first time. A crowd of 1,500 fans witnessed the Murray State Racers edge out Belmont to clinch their NCAA tournament berth.
The month’s slate of basketball culminated in dramatic fashion with the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Elite Eight, broadcast live on CBS. Eight elite programs from across the country competed for the national title, with the Nova Southeastern Sharks hoisting the championship trophy for the second time in three years.
Beyond the excitement on the court, March marked a first-of-its-kind distinction for Evansville: the city was home to both the first and final automatic bids to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. From the opening ticket punched in the OVC Women’s Championship, to the final ticket secured in the MVC Women’s Championship, Evansville bookended March Madness in unforgettable fashion.
“To be the city that launches and closes the NCAA Women’s Tournament ticket punching is something incredibly special,” said Brandon McClish, Executive Director of the Evansville Regional Sports Commission. “It’s a testament to the strength of our partnerships, the dedication of our volunteers, and the unwavering commitment of our community. What we achieved this March shows the world what Evansville can do—and we’re just getting started.”
The tournaments generated an estimated $1.4 million in economic impact for the region; driving nearly 4,000 nights booked in local hotels and bringing fans, teams, and media from across the country into the heart of the city.
ERSC extends its sincere gratitude to the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership (EREP), Downtown Evansville, Explore Evansville, the Ford Center, and the hundreds of volunteers who made this historic month possible.
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ABOUT THE EVANSVILLE REGIONAL ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP
The Evansville Regional Economic Partnership (E-REP) cultivates a thriving and growing talent-rich Evansville Region through advocacy and collaboration between our communities, businesses, and civic leaders. Our vision is to transform the Evansville Region, through thought and action, into a growing and healthy population with high-quality jobs filled by a skilled workforce who enjoy unparalleled quality of place.