INTRUST Bank Arena will host NCAA Division I men's basketball Opening Round games in both 2027 and 2028, and all-session tickets go on sale Monday, Oct. 5.

Wichita was chosen from about 12 interested cities, KAKE reported. The city joins Dayton, Ohio, as the only two sites staging the tournament's opening rounds in both years. Dayton has hosted the start of March Madness since 2001.

The NCAA expanded its tournament field from 68 to 76 teams this year. That means 12 opening-round games instead of the previous four, too many for one arena to handle across two days. Six teams will advance from Wichita to the field of 64.

All-session tickets covering all six games at INTRUST Bank Arena start at $100. The first games are set for Tuesday, March 16, and Wednesday, March 17, 2027. Selection Sunday falls on March 14, 2027, when participating teams will be announced.

Jemelle Holopirek, public relations director for Visit Wichita, said the hosting deal is a first for the city.

"This has never happened in Wichita before. Now, we have hosted NCAA Tournament basketball, but we've never hosted the Opening Rounds, and this is what we'll get in March," Holopirek told KSN.

Holopirek urged fans not to wait until teams are announced, calling every game an elimination contest and saying she wants the arena packed when the national TV cameras turn on.

The 15,000-seat arena has a long track record with the tournament. Wichita first hosted NCAA games in 1956 at Levitt Arena and most recently staged first- and second-round action in 2018 and 2025, according to KSN's earlier reporting.

The deal also carries a perk for the hometown program. The NCAA also removed its rule barring a school from playing at a site where it serves as tournament host, meaning Wichita State could play an Opening Round game at INTRUST Bank Arena if the Shockers land in the play-in field and the bracket allows it, KWCH reported.

Wichita State head coach Paul Mills said in July, when the NCAA announced the selection, that the national exposure would boost the Shockers' profile. "… I think this is one more notch in the belt that, man, here's another thing that Wichita is doing on a basketball front," Mills told KWCH.

Keith Gill, Sun Belt Conference commissioner and chair of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee, said in a press release that Wichita's central location gives teams from across the country easier access to the Opening Round and subsequent first-round sites.

The Sedgwick County Commission approved transferring $2 million from its general fund to the arena's reserve fund in August to prepare for the two-year hosting commitment, according to the Wichita Eagle.

Brad Pittman, Wichita State's senior associate athletic director for facilities and operations, said the city has two years to fill the arena, create an exciting atmosphere and show why Wichita deserves to keep hosting.

Tickets go on sale Monday, Oct. 5, at the INTRUST Bank Arena website.