Memphis among 4 sites in running for 2026 AAC men's basketball tournament

FORT WORTH, Texas — Memphis is one of four sites the AAC is considering for the 2026 men's basketball conference tournament, AAC commissioner Tim Pernetti said Sunday.

Memphis is one of at least five sites that bid for the tournament. The other three are Wichita, Birmingham and Tampa. Those three sites bid for both the men's and women's tournament, but Memphis only bid for the men's tournament, Pernetti said.

Jacksonville also put in a bid, but Pernetti said the conference is "focused on" the four other bids.

Memphis has hosted the conference tournament twice (2014 and 2019). The tournament has been held in Forth Worth since 2021.

This year's tournament is the final one on the current deal with Dickies Arena, and Pernetti has said the conference is looking elsewhere for next year and beyond. He also said the conference wouldn't necessarily sign a long-term deal with a specific site for the tournament.

While athletic directors were in town for the tournament this week, Pernetti said he spoke with each of the four from potential host cities.

"What I wanted to do was give each of those athletic directors each an opportunity to talk more about those bids on behalf of the city and the organizing committee," he said.

Pernetti hopes to announce a decision by this year's Final Four, which is slated for April 5.

20-game conference basketball schedule update for AAC

The AAC has been considering a proposal to increase the conference basketball schedule from 18 games to 20, but Pernetti again pumped the brakes on that idea on Sunday.

"I don't think that we're at the point where we're ready for the 20-game conference schedule yet," he said.

Pernetti has been vocal about wanting AAC teams to improve their non-conference scheduling, especially as the league could send only one team to the NCAA tournament this season if Memphis beats UAB in the AAC final.

"These games are not easy to find," he said. :It's not like quad 1 and quad 2 games are sitting out there. But I think until we're able to make a real improvement in our nonconference scheduling, then that may be where we have the opportunity, more importantly, to sort of upgrade the competition overall."

While Pernetti said he's not in favor of the move to 20 conference games, he said he would defer to the league's ADs for the final decision.

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis among 4 finalists for 2026 AAC basketball tournament host site

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