EVANSVILLE -- Apparently, the Ohio Valley Conference felt the love in Evansville earlier this month.
The league, which brought its season-ending men's and women's basketball tournaments to the city on a one-year trial while its former home was renovated, announced on Thursday that it will stay in Evansville for two more years.
The 2019 OVC Basketball Tournaments will be March 6-9 at the Ford Center, while the 2020 tournament will be March 4-7.
In a news release issued Thursday morning, OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche cited a number of factors in the league's decision. She noted "outstanding local leadership, the success of this past year's championships and the quality of the Ford Center."
This year's men's championship game between Belmont and Murray State drew 4,820 fans to the Ford Center -- about 75 percent of them backing Murray State.
After the game, Murray State Head Coach Matt McMahon lauded the 2018 tournament.
“This is what a first-class conference tournament looks like,” he said. “The arena, the facilities, the locker rooms, the video boards, stat boards – the overall experience for the student-athletes and the fans. … They showed up in large numbers and I really thought our guys fed off the energy and enthusiasm that was in the arena. It was electric in there. To me, that’s what a conference tournament should be.”
The tournament was previously held at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium, which is undergoing renovations.
This story will be updated.
