By ERIC BAILEY Sports Writer on May 16, 2012, at 2:05 PM Updated on 5/16 at 2:21 PM
TU SPORTS
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Conference USA was closing in on where to hold its marquee event – the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments – as the league’s annual spring meetings wrap up in Destin, Fla.
No final decision or recommendation have been made this week, however, as athletic directors will allow the league’s presidents and chancellors to make the final decision next month.
As ESPN’s Andy Katz reported on Tuesday, Tulsa appears to be a frontrunner for hosting the 2013 C-USA Tournament. The eight schools remaining in the league after 2012-13 don’t want to hold the event in Memphis, which is departing the conference after this season.
Tulsa athletic director Ross Parmley has been working on bringing the C-USA Tournament back to Tulsa for several weeks, a source said. The men’s tournament would be played at the BOK Center, while there are talks about having the women’s games at the Convention Center, just a block away from the BOK.
The school hosted the 2010 men’s and women’s tournaments. The men played at the BOK, while the women’s contests were at the Reynolds Center. The men’s championship game was played in front of a light crowd, as UTEP and Houston met in the final. It’s the only time since 2005 realignment that a host school hadn’t advanced to the Saturday title contest.
One thing intriguing to opposing schools: Tulsa would have a home-court advantage, but will be in a rebuilding year. The event could be wide open for all teams but, of course, Memphis will be the favorite.
Another thing to consider: The Tulsa Sports Commission’s attention will be on the Bassmaster Classic, which will be held Feb. 22-24 at the BOK. The C-USA Tournament will take place just two weeks later.
* I spent Tuesday in Lawrence doing research for a Sunday profile on new Tulsa coach Danny Manning. Among those I met with included Kansas coach Bill Self and Manning’s librarian at Lawrence High School.
Coming Thursday: A blog with Self’s answer to this question – Will Kansas play Tulsa in the near future?
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