(June 8, 2004) – Oklahoma City has been chosen by the Big 12 Athletic Conference to host its Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments in 2007, and the Big 12 Baseball Tournament in 2006 and 2007, Mayor Mick Cornett announced today.
The Men's Basketball Tournament will be played in the Ford Center, while the Women's Tournament will be held across the street in the Cox Business Services Convention Center. The Women's Tournament will be played March 6 - 10. The Men's Tournament will be played March 8 - 11.
The Ford Center and the recent renovation of the Cox Center were both part of the MAPS Projects, the ambitious and visionary downtown redevelopment program approved by voters in 1993. MAPS was funded by a temporary one-cent sales tax that expired on July 1, 1999.
The SBC Bricktown Ballpark, another MAPS project, will host the baseball tournaments. The Big 12 had previously selected the Bricktown Ballpark as the site of the of the 2005 baseball tournament.
Oklahoma City was chosen over several other cities to host the events.
"This is the result of a lot of things," Mayor Cornett said. "Certainly the result of MAPS and of our history of hosting successful events."
