Did the NCAA just open the door for the Shockers to play March Madness at home?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- NCAA will host opening-round games in Wichita in 2027 and 2028.
- NCAA removed the provision prohibiting a host school from playing at its own site.
- WSU could play in Wichita only if it's among the final 12 at-large and assigned there.
A single sentence buried deep in the NCAA’s announcement that March Madness is coming back to Wichita opened the door to a tantalizing possibility for Shocker fans.
Wichita State could potentially play an NCAA tournament game at INTRUST Bank Arena.
The NCAA announced Thursday that Wichita will join Dayton, Ohio as a host city for the newly expanded opening round of the men’s basketball tournament in 2027 and 2028. The field will grow from 68 to 76 teams beginning this coming season, creating 12 opening-round games for the lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the final 12 at-large teams selected.
But farther down in the release, tucked away in the eighth paragraph, is a rule change with potentially significant implications for WSU:
“The Men’s Basketball Committee also voted to remove the provision that prohibited a school from playing at a site at which it is serving as the tournament host.”
The NCAA did not elaborate on how the new rule will be applied, but Wichita State has since received confirmation from the organization that the Shockers would be eligible to play an opening-round game in Wichita, according to a source.
Under the previous rule, a school serving as a tournament host could not play at that site. Removing that restriction may clear one potential obstacle that otherwise could have prevented WSU from being assigned to INTRUST Bank Arena.
It would not guarantee the Shockers a game in Wichita.
WSU first would have to earn an at-large bid and land in the portion of the expanded bracket assigned to the opening round. The Shockers then would have to be sent to Wichita rather than Dayton, subject to the NCAA’s other seeding, bracketing and travel considerations.
But this scenario is not difficult to imagine.
The opening round will include the 12 lowest-seeded at-large teams in the field with those teams paired in six games split between Wichita and Dayton.
If WSU earns an at-large bid but is among the final 12 at-large teams selected, the Shockers may have a path to beginning March Madness only a few miles from Koch Arena.
The last time WSU reached the NCAA tournament offers a relevant comparison.
The Shockers were one of the final at-large teams selected for the 2021 tournament and received a No. 11 seed in the First Four. WSU lost a 53-52 play-in game against former Missouri Valley Conference rival Drake in Indiana during the COVID-altered tournament.
That remains the program’s most recent NCAA Tournament appearance.
Of course, WSU would prefer to make the question irrelevant by building a resume strong enough to safely earn an at-large bid or by winning the American Conference tournament championship and avoiding the opening round altogether.
Expectations are rising entering Paul Mills’ fourth season after the Shockers won 24 games, reached the American Conference tournament championship game and advanced to the third round of the NIT last season.
WSU returns a strong core and added experienced guard help from the transfer portal, positioning the Shockers as a projected contender for the American championship in the 2026-27 season.
The goal will be to return to March Madness without spending Selection Sunday near the cut line. If that happens in 2027 or 2028, the newly approved NCAA rule may allow for a much different destination.
Instead of traveling across the country for a play-in game, the Shockers could potentially begin March Madness in downtown Wichita — with a hometown crowd waiting inside INTRUST Bank Arena.
This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 5:04 PM.
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