Big 12 basketball tournaments in Kansas City will be held with limited fan capacity
The Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are back on track for Kansas City, but they won’t have the usual big crowds.
The city announced Friday that attendance will be limited to about 20% capacity at T-Mobile Center for the men on March 10-13 and at Municipal Auditorium for the women on March 11-14.
That would limit the attendance to about 3,800 for men’s games and 2,000 for women’s games. Ticket and school allotment information weren’t available on Friday.
The men’s tournament annually fills the building. Last year, the women returned to Municipal for the first time since 2012 and never got on the court because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These games and all the connected events will of course and look and feel different than in years past,” said Kathy Nelson, president of the Kansas City Sports Commission.
Nelson said masks or face coverings will be required at the games, to be removed only when eating and drinking.
No hospitality venues at the arenas will be open.
Events around the games have been eliminated or reduced.
There will be no planned large gatherings outside the arenas, which has contributed the festive atmosphere of the tournaments. There will not be a Grand Boulevard street closure for fan fest or pep rallies in the Power & Light District.
The Kansas City Big 12 Run will be held virtually.
The Big 12 men’s tournament had started last March with two games played on the opening night. Around 11 a.m. the next day, which was also the first day of the women’s tournament, the Big 12 had followed all other conferences in canceling the tournament.
By the end of the week, the NCAA Tournament was canceled.
Other basketball tournaments
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics men’s basketball tournament will be played at Municipal Auditorium next month, but the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association tournaments have been moved from Kansas City to campus sites.
Attendance for the NAIA tournament games, which are March 18-23, will be limited to 20% of capacity. Tickets go on sale Monday through Ticketmaster.
This story was originally published February 19, 2021 at 12:24 PM.