Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
The Big South Conference has announced its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be back in Johnson City, Tennessee for a third year.
The conference and Visit Johnson City have mutually exercised the third-year option to host the 2027 Conference Basketball Championships at Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City, Tenn.
The original pact was a two-year agreement that included an option for a third. The 2027 tournament is scheduled for Wednesday-Sunday, March 3-7.
Big South Commissioner Sherika A. Montgomery said the conference looks forward to “delivering an elevated championship experience for our basketball student-athletes at the 2027 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships.”
“Visit Johnson City, Freedom Hall, and the greater Johnson City community have been phenomenal partners in showcasing the Conference’s premier event, and we are proud to continue building on that success,” Montgomery said.
Johnson City and Freedom Hall are home to East Tennessee State University. JC has a population of 71,046. Freedom Hall is a multi-purpose arena that seats 6,149 people in basketball.
It will just be the third time in the conference’s 42-year history that the same facility will host the league’s marquee basketball championships three consecutive years — but the first non-campus “neutral” site with this distinction.
In the first two years at Freedom Hall in 2025 and 2026, High Point University swept both men’s and women’s championships and automatics bids to the NCAA Tournament.
Visit Johnson City Executive Director Brenda Whitson said Johnson City is thrilled and honored to welcome the Big South Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships back to Johnson City in 2027.
“This event wonderfully showcases Johnson City and Washington County, and we are incredibly grateful for the Big South Conference’s continued partnership and confidence in our community. We look forward to delivering another phenomenal experience for all the student-athletes, coaches, and fans,” she said.
The 2027 Big South Basketball Championships will continue the league’s staging of the combined tournaments that has occurred since 2022. In addition, the postseason events have been conducted at the same site now 15 times: 1997-98 (Lynchburg, Va. – campus), 1999-00 (Asheville, N.C. – neutral), 2001-02 (Roanoke, Va. – neutral), 2013-15 (Conway, S.C. – campus), 2022-23 (Charlotte, N.C. – neutral), 2024 (High Point, N.C. – campus) and 2025-27 (Johnson City – neutral). Basketball Championship hosting bid cycles and formats for 2028 and beyond will be determined in the months ahead.
