KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Several roads are closed, banners are hanging and flags flying around downtown Kansas City, Missouri, ahead of the Big 12 Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
The men play Wednesday through Saturday at the T-Mobile Center. The women’s teams play Thursday through Sunday at Municipal Auditorium. Next year, the women will also play at T-Mobile Center.
The conference hosts fan fest activities for the men’s championship on Grand Boulevard outside the T-Mobile Center. The woman’s championship fan fest takes place at Barney Allis Plaza.
The KC Live! courtyard within the Power and Light District transforms into “Hoops Central” during the tournament. It will host pep rallies and watch parties for men’s teams ahead of their games. Jason Bradley is the director of entertainment and production for the Power and Light District. While the tournament has been in Kansas City every year since 2010 (and a total of 21 previous times), he tries to bring something new each year. The tournaments will remain in Kansas City through 2027.
“It’s not just a wash and repeat,” Bradley said.
This year, the district hung more flags representing the Big 12 teams. Crews installed more lights to help make pep rallies come alive.
“Our goal is when we do pep rallies, for example for Baylor, we want the stage to really look like it’s Baylor’s when they go up there. Same thing with K-State. We really want to make it feel like this venue becomes theirs for their pep rally,” Bradley said.
The fun ends with a performance by Shaquille O’Neal as DJ Diesel in the KC Live! Block Saturday night after the men’s championship game. A $20 ticket is required to attend the show, but all other fan fest and pep rallies are free to the public.
