MEN’S BASKETBALL: Houston awarded 2023 Final Four

Published 3:03 pm Monday, July 16, 2018

Two years after hosting one of the closest Final Four finishes ever, Houston has been awarded its fourth NCAA men’s basketball semifinals and championship.

The NCAA announced on its Final Four Twitter account the city will host the 2023 Final Four, which likely will be held at NRG Stadium. That was the site of the 2011 event in which Connecticut hand Butler its second straight title-game loss and the site of the 2016 championship game when Kris Jenkins knocked down a three-point shot off a Ryan Arcidiacono pass at the buzzer to give Villanova the win over North Carolina. Marcus Paige had hit an off-balance three-point shot with 4.7 seconds left to tie the game.

The 1971 Final Four was held at the Astrodome. UCLA defeated Villanova in the final, but Villanova’s records from that tournament were vacated after it was discovered star player Howard Porter signed with an agent before prior the event.

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Houston was awarded the 2023 tournament over Detroit, Los Angeles and North Texas.

San Antonio, which hosted this year’s Final Four, has been granted the 2025 Final Four. Phoenix will host the 2024 event and Indianapolis will serve in 2026.

Minneapolis, Atlanta, Indianapolis and New Orleans will host the 2019-22 Final Fours in order.

About I.C. Murrell

I.C. Murrell was promoted to editor of The News, effective Oct. 14, 2019. He previously served as sports editor since August 2015 and has won or shared eight first-place awards from state newspaper associations and corporations. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, grew up mostly in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

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