University of Memphis Athletics
Memphis Awarded 2008 Conference USA Tournament
Feb 14, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 14, 2007
IRVING, Texas - Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky announced Wednesday that the C-USA Men's Basketball Championship would return to Memphis in 2008, as unanimously approved by the Conference Board of Directors. The University of Memphis will serve as host for the event, which will be played at FedExForum for the fourth-straight year.
"We are very pleased to bring the tournament back to Memphis," Banowsky said. "The support and hospitality from the wonderful people in Memphis have made them an excellent host, and FedExForum is a great venue. The downtown entertainment district is also a big draw for the event."
The 2007 C-USA Men's Basketball Championship Presented by Aéropostale, featuring all 12 C-USA men's basketball programs, will be held Wednesday, Mar. 7 through the championship game on Saturday, Mar. 10. All-session tickets are currently on sale for $160, while special hospitality packages are also available.
This year's championship game will once again be broadcast on CBS Saturday at 10:35 a.m. CST, and the quarterfinal and semifinal games will air live on CSTV. Five venues remain under consideration for the 2009 and 2010 Conference USA Men's Basketball Championship.
"This is becoming a tremendous annual event for the city of Memphis," said Tiger head coach John Calipari. "The city has so much to offer fans attending the tournament, and I've received nothing but positive feedback from the league's other coaches and players during the last two C-USA Tournaments here in Memphis. With having the C-USA Tournament here as part of March Madness, it provides a grand stage to showcase Memphis and FedExForum to the rest of the nation."
Memphis hosted the 2005 and 2006 Men's Basketball Championships at the FedExForum, drawing more than 55,000 fans in 2005 and 68,277 in 2006.
The 2008 C-USA postseason tournament will be the sixth time overall that the city of Memphis has played host to the C-USA Men's Basketball Championship as the event was played at The Pyramid in 1996 and 2000.
