CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Big South Conference Council of Chief Executive Officers announced the location site for the 2025 and 2026 Hercules Tires Big South Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. Johnson City, Tennessee will be the host city for the Championships, bringing the tournaments to the “Mountain South” and Freedom Hall Civic Center, it was announced today at a press conference. The facility marks the league’s sixth overall neutral site for its marquee basketball events in the conference’s 40-year history. The agreement includes a mutual option for 2027.
“The Big South Conference looks forward to partnering with Johnson City in hosting a first class and memorable championship experience in the Mountain South for our basketball student-athletes,” said Big South Commissioner Sherika A. Montgomery. “Representatives of Johnson City made it clear that attracting a premier sporting event was a priority. The Big South is confident that this partnership will showcase highly competitive basketball programs while creating brand exposure in this thriving region.”
Located an average of three hours from the Big South’s nine member institutions, Johnson City becomes the first location outside the conference’s traditional footprint to host the basketball championships, and will continue the league’s staging of the combined tournaments that has occurred since 2022. The 2025 Hercules Tires Big South Basketball Championships are scheduled for Wednesday-Sunday, March 5-9 at 6,500-seat Freedom Hall.
“Today is a celebration of teamwork and our relentless pursuit of providing a positive and enriching experience for all of the athletes and fans who will travel to Johnson City for the Big South Basketball Championships,” stated Brenda Whitson, Executive Director of Visit Johnson City.
“The Big South’s commitment to their student-athletes was immediately evident and something that was glaringly similar to our devotion to Johnson City and its residents,” added Dr. Todd Fowler, Mayor of Johnson City.
The conference’s signature event has been conducted at the same site 12 times previously: 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) and 2024 (High Point, N.C. – campus).
The Big South’s five previous neutral site conference tournaments were held in 1991-92 (men’s – Civic Center of Anderson, S.C.), 1993-94 (men’s – North Charleston Coliseum, S.C.), 1999-00 (men’s and women’s – Asheville Civic Center, N.C.), 2002-03 (men’s and women’s – Roanoke Civic Center, Va.) and 2022-23 (men’s and women’s – Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C.).
The official 2025 Hercules Tires Big South Championship tournament logo, schedule and ticket packages will be announced once finalized. Be sure to continue checking bigsouthsports.com/ and highpointpanthers.com/ for updates leading up to the tournament.
ABOUT VISIT JOHNSON CITY (www.visitjohnsoncitytn.com)
The Johnson City Convention and Visitors Bureau invests in the promotion and development of the community’s distinctive experiences to drive sustainable economic growth and quality of place. Named Top Adventure Town by Blue Ridge Outdoors, Johnson City is the ultimate place for world-class recreation. In Johnson City, visitors can hike to panoramic mountain views from Buffalo Mountain while being just minutes from the historic downtown district — home to local restaurants, breweries, retail shops, parks, public art, and 360° mountain views.
#GoHPU x #BigSouthMade
