HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Conference USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod announced today that the 2024 and 2025 Conference USA Men's & Women's Basketball Championships will be hosted at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Alabama, in partnership with the Huntsville/Madison County CVB, the Huntsville Sports Commission and Knight Eady. The multi-year agreement is for two seasons with an opportunity to extend.
"We are very excited to have our men’s and women’s basketball teams compete for a conference championship and berth in the NCAA tournament at Propst Arena in Huntsville," MacLeod said. “We can’t wait to get started partnering with the team from the City, Sports Commission, CVB and Knight Eady to put on a first-class event for our student-athletes, universities and fans while enjoying all Huntsville has to offer.”
The 2024 C-USA Basketball Championships are scheduled for Tuesday, March 12 through Saturday, March 16, at Propst Arena. The conference champions receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
“We are proud to welcome the Conference USA men’s and women’s basketball championships to Huntsville and our renovated Propst Arena,” said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. “March Madness will be starting in the Rocket City next year and we can’t wait to showcase our great city to all the student-athletes, coaches, fans, and alumni attending the event.”
Huntsville will be the ninth location to host the C-USA Men’s Basketball Championship and the 14th host city for the C-USA Women’s Basketball Championship. Both championships have been held in Alabama previously, from 2015-17, in Birmingham at Legacy Arena (men’s and women’s) and Bartow Arena for the women’s championship in 1996.
“Providing an exciting and enjoyable championship atmosphere for the student-athletes is our top priority, and I believe all of the teams traveling to the rocket city will love their experience here,” said Mark Russell, Executive Director of the Huntsville Sports Commission. “Huntsville is a great destination – not just to visit, but for sports– and I’m thrilled Conference USA is entrusting our team to host a high-caliber event like the C-USA Basketball Championships here. We can’t wait!”
“Bringing a piece of March Madness to Huntsville has been a goal for our community and this is a great opportunity to have the road to the Final Four start here,” said Joel Lamp, Sports Manager for the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Conference USA has a national brand that will provide a larger platform for Huntsville to shine. This has been a tremendous team effort from all of our partners and we appreciate the confidence the Conference USA leadership has in our vision to provide a championship experience at Propst Arena.”
“Knight Eady is proud to support the Huntsville Sports Commission and the Huntsville/Madison County CVB in hosting elite basketball in the City of Huntsville,” said Cline Thompson, VP of Business Development at Knight Eady. “We believe sport has the power to change lives and impact communities in valuable ways. Our goal is to create an experience for the student-athletes, Conference USA and the fans that matches the premium standard of Huntsville. There’s a reason it is recognized as the top-ranked city in the country.”
Ticket information will be announced this fall and more information will be available at www.ConferenceUSA.com.
ABOUT THE HUNTSVILLE SPORTS COMMISSION
The Huntsville Sports Commission is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3), organization that promotes and enhances the quality of life in Huntsville by identifying, recruiting, promoting, and staging sporting events and meetings. At the Huntsville Sports Commission, we worry about the details so you don’t have to. For more information, contact Brooke Izzo Shaughnessy, Director of Marketing & Communications, 256-883-3769, brooke.izzo@huntsvilleal.gov.
ABOUT HUNTSVILLE/MADISON COUNTY CVB
The Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is a non-profit 501(c)(6) organization that was developed in 1970 to create economic growth by marketing the community as a top-of-mind convention and visitor destination. As the official city/county agency which promotes the area as a tourist destination and convention site, the CVB works with an array of hospitality industry partners to market our destination to visitors of all types.
ABOUT THE VON BRAUN CENTER/PROPST ARENA
The Von Braun Center (VBC) is a multi-purpose facility in downtown Huntsville, Alabama. The VBC offers multiple venues for presenting cultural, educational, entertainment, sporting and social events. Venue spaces include Propst Arena, Mark C. Smith Concert Hall, Mars Music Hall, Playhouse, North Hall, South Hall, and East Hall. Additionally, the VBC has an on-site full-service restaurant and rooftop bar – Rhythm on Monroe. With over 170,000 square feet of flexible meeting space the VBC can accommodate events of all types and sizes.
ABOUT KNIGHT EADY
At Knight Eady, the people on our team serve as our best asset, and the company is defined by the people who represent the Knight Eady brand. We are brought together under the belief that sports have the power to change lives. Although our team and service offerings have grown, our core values and mission have not. Since our inception, the Knight Eady team and our service offerings have both evolved. With the addition of talented team members, what began as an event operations company evolved into a larger agency capable of serving clients in various ways. Knight Eady now operates as a full-service event, strategy and creative agency, working with clients across the country to creatively solve the problems they face in sports.
ABOUT CONFERENCE USA
Conference USA is an NCAA Division I athletic conference based in Dallas, Texas, now in its third decade, Conference USA has adapted to the ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics with an unwavering commitment to excellence, integrity and leadership in competition, academics and community.