NCAA takes over the East coast for future March Madness tournaments

Big East Basketball Media Day with SetonHall and Villanova

Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman and St. John's will be bringing the 2017 NCAA Tournament East Regional to Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, NY 10/22/14 (William Perlman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

(William Perlman)

If you're looking for a big stage to set a basketball tournament on, it doesn't really get any bigger than Madison Square Garden.

The NCAA certainly agrees and they will be returning there during the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The East Regional will be hosted by local team St. John's and the Big East conference with the games scheduled for March 24 and 26.

Other cities playing host for the 2017 Regional games are Kansas City, Missouri (Midwest Regional), San Jose, California (West Regional) and Louisville, Kentucky (South Regional).

Joel Fisher, executive vice president, sports properties of The Madison Square Garden Company was excited to break the news today.

"Hosting the NCAA East Regional again in 2017 is wonderful for Madison Square Garden and all of New York," Fisher said in a statement.

This will be the second time in four years the Garden will host the East Regional after a 53-year absence.Last year saw the return of the tournament, including several dramatic wins by eventual champion UCONN.

""In April, the World's Most Famous Arena was thrilled to be the site of UCONN's breathtaking victories on its way to the Final Four and national championship," Fisher's statement continued. "We are proud to continue the 80-year legacy of exciting college hoops at The Garden with the NCAA Tournament in 2017."

According to a press release from St. John's, the first semifinal game of the 2017 East Regional will be the 75th NCAA Tournament game held at the venue, which also plays host to St. John's home games and the Big East Conference Tournament.

That's not the only time the eastern seaboard will get an up-close look at the NCAA Tournament either, as the NCAA also announced that the 2016 NCAA East Regionals will be held in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center and hosted by La Salle.

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The games scheduled for the Wells Fargo Center are currently to be played on March 25 and 27, with other regional rounds taking place in Anaheim, California (West Region), Louisville, Kentucky (South Regional) and Chicago, Illinois (Midwest Regional).

The Wells Fargo Center has been a frequent host to NCAA basketball Tournaments, including the Women's Basketball Final Four in 2000, the 2001 Men's East Regional, the 2006 and 2009 first and second rounds and the second and third rounds in 2013.

That same year, the Barclays Center will host several early round games along with the Atlantic 10.

So New Jersey basketball fans, you will be able to hit all the Tournament games you can handle during 2016 and 2017.

Now we just have to get all the local teams to catch a little March Madness themselves so they're not watching with us in the stands.

Andrew Garda may be reached at andrew.garda@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @Andrew_Garda. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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