NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Southeastern Conference has entered into an agreement with the Nashville Sports Council to play its menâs or womenâs basketball tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., each year for 12 consecutive years beginning in 2015, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive announced today.
The Music City will serve as host to the menâs tournament nine times between 2015 and 2026 and the womenâs event will be played three times during that period.
At the SEC Springs Meetings in Destin in May, the leagueâs athletic directors voted to select a primary site at which most SEC menâs basketball tournaments would be played in future years. With this agreement, the SEC has officially designated Nashville as its primary site for the SEC Menâs Basketball Tournament.
âNashville has long been a valued partner of the Southeastern Conference and we are pleased to establish this long-term agreement that will benefit our menâs and womenâs basketball tournaments,â Slive said. âNashville, as a proven host, provides SEC teams and fans with a wonderful experience.â
Under the terms of the new agreement, the menâs tournament will be played in Nashville every year from 2015 to 2025 with the exception of 2018 and 2022. The womenâs tournament will be played there in 2018, 2022 and 2026.
The agreement to play the menâs tournament in Nashville in 2015, 2016 and 2019 was previously announced.
"The entire Nashville community is honored to be named as the host city for the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament and have the opportunity to continue to host the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament during the next 12 years,â said Scott Ramsey, president and CEO, Nashville Sports Council. âWe appreciate the opportunity to work with the SEC and ESPN to create a showcase event for SEC basketball teams, coaches and fans."
Bridgestone Arena opened in 1996 and has hosted SEC basketball tournaments on nine occasions. The SEC Menâs Basketball Tournament was played there in 2001, 2006, 2010 and 2013, while the SEC Womenâs Tournament was held there in 2002, 2004, 2008, 2011 and 2012. The facility is Nashvilleâs No. 1 venue for large-scale musical productions, as well as one of the nationâs most highly acclaimed entertainment and sports venues.
Nashville was also the site of the menâs tournament in 1984 and 1991 when it was played at Memorial Gymnasium on the Vanderbilt campus.