March is a big month for college basketball in the US, and more of these games will be played in Kansas City than anywhere else in the country. This turns the downtown into a beehive of activity as visitors from across the country boost the local population and economy by an estimated $18 million this month alone. That's because there are three separate tournaments taking place in the city in March.
First there is the Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship at Municipal Auditorium, followed by the Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship at the Sprint center on March 16, and then the 74th Annual Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division 1 Men's Basketball National Championship wraps things up at Municipal. The Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association plans to take full advantage of the opportunity to showcase the region, hoping for a domino effect that filters through to local businesses and fuels the economy for years to come.