Big 12 to announce hoop tourney sites

The Kansas City Sports Commission has scheduled a news conference for 5 p.m.Thursday in the wake of the announcement of future Big 12 championships at the conference spring meetings in Irving, Texas.

A celebration?

Not necessarily.

Commission president Kathy Nelson said Wednesday she doesn’t know where Big 12 championships will be awarded, and Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby has said the vote for future basketball and baseball championship sites will occur on the day of the announcement.

The Big 12 is considering bids for men’s and women’s basketball championships from 2017-2020.

The men’s tournament has been played in Kansas City in 14 of the 19 years of the Big 12, and is scheduled to be played at Sprint Center next year.

Dallas and Oklahoma City are among others that have bid for future basketball events.

By 2016, the women’s tournament will have been played twice each in Dallas and Oklahoma City since the event separated from the men’s tournament.

The Big 12 is considering returning the men and the women to the same site, and Kansas City has bid for both events at Sprint Center, with the women’s event first, then the men.

Whatever the outcome, Nelson said she wants to talk about it.

“It’s going to be news either way,” Nelson said.

This story was originally published May 27, 2015 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Big 12 to announce hoop tourney sites."