KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Walk through downtown in early March and the air practically hums with Big 12 basketball.
The tournament energy ignites the city, giving it a renewed pulse. Restaurants and shops quickly embrace the moment, decking their windows and menus in Big 12 branding as Kansas City transforms into the conference’s unofficial home base.
“We’re thrilled to be back here at T-Mobile Center as we host what I think is the best conference tournament in America. Kansas City has been incredible to us,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said during his annual media conference Tuesday morning.
The Big 12 men’s basketball tournament first made Kansas City its primary home in 1997, and the relationship has only deepened since. Between 1997 and 2026, the city will have hosted the event 25 times, most of them inside what is now known as T-Mobile Center.
Kansas City has been the tournament’s near‑permanent home since 2010.
As the Big 12 embraced Kansas City, the city embraced the Big 12 right back.
“I want to start by thanking the mayor. Mayor (Quinton) Lucas and I have become pretty friendly over the last couple of years, and he’s a huge advocate of this tournament,” Yormark said. “He’s a huge basketball fan, and it shows in all the things they’re doing for us in the community and in this building.”
In 2007, the College Basketball Experience — a Hall of Fame‑style interactive museum — opened just outside T-Mobile Center, backed by significant support from the Big 12 and several of its member schools, including Texas Tech and Arizona.
The attraction quickly became a staple of tournament week, drawing fans who want to immerse themselves in the sport beyond the games themselves.
Local restaurants also began preparing for the influx of Big 12 fans, with some participating directly in fan fest events while others rolled out Big 12‑themed menu items to welcome visiting crowds.
The official fan fest embraced local and community sponsors, taking over the heart of the Power & Light District and allowing both indoor and outdoor restaurants to capitalize on the surge in economic activity.
The Yard House, located in the Power & Light District just steps from the arena, showed its support by releasing a Big 12 basketball tournament menu.
“This location here in Kansas City has been here a year now,” employee Libby Denney said, noting that the tournament brings in increased revenue.
“The Big 12 is excited to build on the momentum of our Big 12 Eats program and extend our offerings outside of T-Mobile Center with the introduction of Big 12 trEATS at The Yard Milkshake Bar, in partnership with Dairy Does More,” said Tyrel Kirkham, the conference’s chief brand and business officer, in a statement on the Yard House website. “This collaboration gives Big 12 fans the opportunity to engage and indulge in a new, creative way.”
The restaurant’s support included a specialty milkshake for each of the conference’s 16 teams — plus one for the Big 12 itself.
“It’s been amazing seeing their faces whenever they realize we do have the team they’re supporting — a milkshake version for them. Their faces just light up,” Denney said.
One of the most popular items has been the Big 12 Bracket Buster.
“Our featured tournament treat is the Big 12 Bracket Buster, a shake designed especially for the Big 12 Tournament,” the Yard House said in its media release. “This specialty shake features chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream with chocolate and marshmallow drizzle in a vanilla‑iced jar rolled in crushed OREO® cookies. It’s topped with a bracket brownie, basketball sucker, Big 12 topper and whipped cream for the ultimate game‑day dessert.”
The tournament’s impact doesn’t stop at food. It’s reach has expanded far beyond, including an official partnership with Rally House.
Rally House — a Lenexa‑based company that originated from Kansas Sampler in 1989 — has continued to grow in the Kansas City area, opening new positions and stores, including a major expansion in the Power & Light District announced in late 2023.
That investment paid off with Rally House becoming the official Big 12 fan apparel partner.
“For Rally House, this partnership is a landmark. Our brand was founded and grew up right in the heart of the Big 12 footprint in Kansas City,” CEO Aaron Liebert, son of founders Tim and Peg Liebert, said in the conference’s press release announcing the partnership.
The tournament’s impact spreads throughout downtown, filling local restaurants and hotels with fans — even late‑night spots like Pizza Shuttle, packed with supporters in Big 12 gear grabbing slices after games.
Many hotels, which benefit significantly from the annual surge in visitors, have leaned fully into the Big 12 branding. The Courtyard by Marriott at the downtown convention center has embraced its role as an official tournament hotel, housing hundreds of media members and fans. Big 12 logos line its lobby and restaurant, turning the space into a welcoming hub for visiting supporters.
What began as a hosting agreement nearly three decades ago has grown into a citywide celebration that fuels local business and electrifies downtown.
With restaurants packed, hotels booked and fans spilling through the Power & Light District, the Big 12 Tournament has become one of Kansas City’s most reliable economic engines — and one of its most beloved traditions.
At this point, Kansas City and the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament aren’t just partners. They’re old friends who bring out the best in each other every March.