Kansas City keeps Big 12 men’s basketball tournament, football title game sees Texas home

KC keeps Big 12 basketball tournaments

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Big 12 Conference said Friday that its men’s basketball tournament will remain in Kansas City’s Sprint Center through 2014 and the football championship game will probably be played at the new Cowboys Stadium in the Dallas area for five years in a row.

Of course, those dates are all subject to the Big 12 remaining intact, something that remained unclear Friday after commissioner Dan Beebe failed to get a solid commitment from all 12 schools during spring meetings this week.

Nevertheless, Beebe said he had been authorized by league presidents to put the Big 12 championship football game in the new $1 billion Cowboys Stadium in 2012, 2013 and 2014. It was played in the lush new facility in Arlington, Texas, this past season and is also scheduled to be there in 2010.

Several North Division schools, particularly Nebraska, had wanted the game rotated back to Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium.

Kansas City’s Sprint Center also hosted the basketball tournament this past season.

“All these are subject to negotiation,” Beebe said. “The authorization is for us to negotiate contracts with these host cities in the future. We’ve dealt with them previously.”

The women’s basketball tournament will be held in Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium in 2012 and 2013. Beebe said no site was picked for the women’s tournament beyond 2013 and that the event may be held in a separate, smaller city from the men.

The baseball tournament will remain in Oklahoma City through 2014, where it has been very successful.