KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 2024 MIAA Basketball Championships presented by Southern Bank tip-off Wednesday, March 6, in Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium.
The top twenty MIAA basketball teams will meet in Kansas City for the Association's 21st postseason tournament in the historic Municipal Auditorium. The women will compete in the afternoon sessions this year with the men's sessions following in the evenings.
As of Thursday (Feb. 29) night’s games, all ten women's teams have punched their tickets to Kansas City while the top ten men’s teams have been locked in since last Saturday (Feb. 24). Ending the regular season on a 13-game winning streak, Missouri Western captured the women’s title for the first time since 2016. On the men’s side, Northwest Missouri collected its 11th consecutive regular season crown.
The championship brackets will be announced on Saturday, March 2, following the day’s final MIAA matchups.
Johnny’s Tavern in Kansas City’s Power & Light District is inviting MIAA fans to begin the week’s celebrations with a MIAA Pep Rally. Following the women’s afternoon session and before the men’s evening session on March 6, MIAA fans are encouraged to visit downtown Kansas City’s best sports bar. MIAA fans can show their ticket(s) for either session on March 6 to receive a FREE beer and raffle ticket. For more information on the tip-off celebration at Johnny’s Tavern, click here.
Each year, the MIAA Championship welcomes thousands of local grade school students to its annual Youth Days. Prior to tip-off Wednesday-Friday, local students get the chance to experience an educational pregame program before filling the arena for the afternoon session.
The Kansas City Disc Dogs will also be joining MIAA Madness at halftime of Wednesday’s first-round women’s matchup and Thursday’s first women’s quarterfinal contest. The Kansas City Disc Dogs are a group of local dogs and their owners who love playing frisbee. No strangers to the bring lights, the KC Disc Dogs have performed in arenas all over the metro and throughout the midwest.
Friday’s first women’s quarterfinal halftime show will feature a performance by Chiefs Rumble – the official drumline of the Super Bowl LVIII Champions. The Chiefs Rumble was started by the Kansas City Cheifs in 2019 and has allowed hundreds of local musicians the opportunity to perform in front of 77,000 NFL fans since. Throughout the season, the Chiefs Rumble energizes fans before, during and after all home Chiefs games.
Friday’s evening session for the men’s quarterfinal contests will be Southern Bank Night. Southern Bank is the official sponsor of the 2024 MIAA Basketball Championships. A limited amount of mini, championship-branded gold basketballs will be given away to MIAA fans in attendance.
MIAA fans in attendance will have chances to win gift cards courtesy of Southern Bank, Visit KC, Johnny’s Tavern and more, as well as plenty of other prizes and giveaways for participating in on-court promotions and contests throughout the tournament.
Each year, the Association collects donations for a specific charity. This year, the charity is the Heartstrings Community Foundation – a Kansas City organization that assists adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live meaningful, productive, independent lives through successful employment opportunities in the Kansas City community.
In between sessions, staff members will walk the stands with roster sheets and donation buckets with all proceeds going to the Heartstrings Community Foundation. Heartstring employees will also be open for business at Municipal Auditorium selling a variety of tasty treats. MIAA fans can visit the Heartstrings booth in the lobby before and after the noon game on Friday (March 8).
An MIAA fan-favorite Granny Basketball is returning for the 2024 tournament. Two local Johnson County Granny Basketball teams will go head-to-head on Municipal Court at halftime of the first women’s semifinal game on Saturday (March 9).
Representatives from the Kansas City Royals will also have a booth in the Municipal lobby throughout the tournament to promote of the Royals’ MIAA Day at the K in July.
Tickets are still available for purchase on MIAA campuses and on Ticketmaster.com. For more information on the 2024 MIAA Basketball Championships presented by Southern Bank, visit TheMIAA.com/MIAAmadness.