As NCAA March Madness gets underway at the BMO Harris Bradley Center for one last time, plans are in the works to bring the tournament back to Milwaukee at the new Bucks Arena.
Steve Costello, the President and CEO of the Bradley Center, said it's sad to see the NCAA tournament being played in the arena for the last time.
"It's a bit bittersweet but it's also a great celebration because it's a great event and we're just excited to have been able to host it so many times," Costello said.
But he's sure it'll be back at the new Bucks Arena and Kristin Settle with Visit Milwaukee agrees.
"I have a feeling that Milwaukee will want to host more NCAA tournaments, so certainly the Bucks Arena will play a large role in that," she said.
Bucks owner Peter Feigin also thinks the college squads will return to the pro team’s new arena after it's completed.
"Along with our partners at Marquette, we are actively engaged in the bidding process for the 2019 through 2022 tournaments to keep NCAA basketball in Milwaukee, and we look forward to hosting many more tournament games," he said.
Milwaukee is expected to miss one year of March Madness, hopefully coming back bigger and better than ever.
"I wouldn't rule out a higher level bracket being held in Milwaukee in the future at the Bucks Arena," Settle said.
"I'm absolutely sure that beautiful new building is going to be a great place for basketball including Marquette and NCAA basketball going forward," Costello said.
In total the Bradley Center has hosted March Madness seven times. The city expects to hear about future bids in the next few months.
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