The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will play its Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments at the MassMutual Center in Springfield for three years, beginning in 2012.
The March conference tournament carries with it a berth iin the NCAA Division I tournament.
The MAAC will play its 2010 tournament in Albany, N.Y. The 2011 event will be in Bridgeport, Conn.
The appeal of a neutral site event, and the location of the Basketball Hall of Fame, prompted MACC officials to move the event to Springfield from 2012 to 2014.
Click here for the official press release from MAAC officials.
Springfield officials estimate the event will pump $4 million to 5 million into the local economy each year, double what is received by hosting the NCAA Division II Championships.
The success with the Division II event, known as the Elite Eight, was another reason MAAC officials became interested in Springfield.
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference members include Canisius, Fairfield, Iona, Loyola (Md.), Manhattan, Marist, Niagara, Rider, St. Peter's and Siena.
Hall of Famer Hubie Brown, a Niagara graduate, wrote a letter on Springfield's behalf to MAAC officials.
Springfield tried unsuccessfully to lure the Atlantic 10 tournament to the city last year. The A-10 chose to remain at its own neutral site in Atlantic City, N.J.