GREENVILLE, S.C. — March Madness, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament and nation's most high profile collegiate sporting event, has a well-established home in Greenville, South Carolina, thanks to Furman University and Paladin Athletics.

Furman recently joined with the Southern Conference in co-hosting its fourth NCAA Men's Tournament First and Second Round games (Mar. 19-21) at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. By every measure the returns and reviews underline the tremendous impact and visibility such a premier event means to Greenville, recently rated the No. 4 Best Place To Live in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report and No. 7^th Best Place To Visit by Travel + Leisure.

According to figures compiled by VistGreenvilleSC, the City and County of Greenville's official sales and marketing organization, the tournament generated $9.65 million in economic impact, covering business sales (lodging, transportation, food & beverage, etc.) and personal income.
 
A total of 41,247 tickets were sold for the event with approximately 43 percent of attendees being overnight visitors who accounted for over 10,000 room nights.  Hotel performance in downtown Greenville was especially impressive, reaching a 94.9 percent occupancy and average daily rate (ADR) of $318.36, a 36.1 percent increase over the same dates in a non-NCAA Tournament year.

The first of the eight host cities to sell out its first and second round games, Greenville's six contests featured eventual Final Four participant Illinois, as well as Duke, North Carolina, Ohio State, TCU, VCU, Penn, and Siena.
 
"Greenville has firmly established itself as one of the premier destinations for March Madness, and Furman University is proud to help lead that effort," said Jason Donnelly, Furman's Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics. "To both host and compete in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament in the same year is a rare and meaningful accomplishment — one that speaks to the strength of our program, our partnerships, and our community. We are deeply grateful to the Southern Conference, VisitGreenvilleSC, the City of Greenville, Bon Secours Wellness Arena, our campus partners, and the countless staff members and volunteers whose leadership, preparation, and commitment made this opportunity possible."
 
The 2026 NCAA Tournament especially proved to be a major showcase for Furman, which had the unique, first-time experience of co-hosting tournament games in Greenville while the Paladin SoCon Tournament championship men's team battled eventual national finalist Connecticut in Philadelphia, Pa.
 
Successful NCAA Tournament basketball is nothing new to Greenville, which hosted the event for the first time in 2002 at the BSW Arena.  It returned with great fanfare in 2017 when Furman and the SoCon again combined to co-host a field of eight teams that included eventual national champion North Carolina.

Furman and the SoCon were days away from co-hosting the 2020 NCAA Women's Tournament First & Second rounds before it was canceled due to the worldwide pandemic.  The men's tournament returned to BSW Arena in 2022, followed by the women's regional in 2023.

Central to Greenville securing high profile tournament games is Furman, which meets the NCAA requirement of a Division I school or conference to host the event.

If the views of national media are indicative of Greenville's place as one of the nation's premier NCAA Tournament host cities, the opportunity for Greenville to secure future March Madness action could be a slam dunk.

Said CBS Sports sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson in an X post to veteran sports reporter Kyle Tucker with 247Sports following this year's event:

"Thank you, Greenville, that was a blast! You should be an NCAA Tournament site every year. Between the downtown, the parks, the restaurants, the area, and the people, it's the perfect place for basketball fans to come together. Hope to be back soon!"

Tucker shared his love for Greenville in his own X post.

"I had no idea: Greenville, S.C., is an awesome city. Legit really cool downtown district. I feel like this is the best-kept secret on the East Coast?"