Beginning this upcoming season, the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA basketball tournament will be able to choose the location of its first- and second-round games, giving the top seed an even greater competitive advantage.
“Preferences would be communicated by teams in contention for the overall No. 1 seed far in advance of Selection Sunday in a process to be determined,” the NCAA said in a statement.
Teams with the chance of becoming the top seed will review the eight first-weekend sites prior to tournament selection, and submit a preferred destination to the selection committee.
The rule tweak was announced by the Division I men’s basketball committee on Monday, according to Sports Illustrated.
The change lends even greater weight to the importance of building a strong tournament resume, and could boost the importance of regular season-ending conference tournaments.
The host cities for the first weekend of the 2017 tournament are Buffalo, Greensboro, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Orlando, Sacramento, Salt Lake City and Tulsa.
