Grand Rapids not chosen for First Fours

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Grand Rapids will not host the 2014 or 2015 First Four -- the four first-round games of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.

Grand Rapids, working with Michigan State University, had been in the running for hosting the events, but was not selected by the NCAA in a decision announced Monday.

Dayton, Ohio was selected as the host city. Dayton will also host the 2013 games.

"We are very grateful to have had the support of Michigan State University along with support from our local community," said West Michigan Sports Commission Executive Director Mike Guswiler in a news release. "We appreciated the chance to host the NCAA championships director in September to showcase the amenities that Grand Rapids has to offer and believe that we made a strong case for the region."

NCAA Championship Director Ron English toured Grand Rapids in September as part of the city's application to host the First Four. He visited Van Andel Arena, along with other amenities of the city.

"We'll reevaluate our plans going forward with regards to hosting NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament games," said West Michigan Sports Commission Executive Committee Member Peter F. Secchia. "At this point, we were given no specific reason for the decision."

"We would like to thank the NCAA for considering Grand Rapids for the First Four," said Michigan State University Director of Events Seth Kesler. "We look forward to working with the West Michigan Sports Commission in the future and appreciate all of the hard work done by the organization."

This is the second time Grand Rapids has tried to land these games. The last time was for a 2011, 2012 or 2013 tournament, and the City paired that time with Western Michigan University.