Why is Houston playing at home? How Rice hosting March Madness region gives Cougars homecourt advantage

When Houston takes the court in the Sweet 16, and potentially the Elite Eight, the Cougars might receive an unprecedented home-court advantage.

Houston gets the benefit of playing the second weekend only miles away from its campus in Houston, Texas, while the rest of its competitors are traveling from out of state. In order for this to happen, the Cougars have to avoid being hosts of the region, which required foresight from the program.

It's rare for a team to play this close to home during the second weekend of the tournament, which makes the Cougars' case that much more interesting. Here's why Houston gets to play the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in Houston.

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Why is Houston playing at home?

Every location in the NCAA tournament features a school or conference that serves as the host. However, hosting duties come with a price, as the NCAA rule book states "a host institution's team shall not be permitted to play at the site where the institution is hosting."

Therefore, when the NCAA chose Houston as a second-weekend site, the University of Houston would’ve had to choose between playing host or playing in Houston. So, before the season, Houston gave up hosting duties for the region.

Houston originally accepted the role as host when the NCAA chose the city for the tournament back in 2020. Ahead of this season, though, the Cougars recognized the advantage they would have by playing in the region, so they made a late switch.

Who is hosting South Region?

Rice University is playing host to the South Region, as the Owls accepted the responsibility when Houston approached the school about the possibility.

"We did not want the city of Houston to lose the opportunity, because it's such a sports town, and to be able to host that was huge," Eric George, Rice assistant vice president and deputy athletic director, said, via CBS Sports. "It gave us a chance to help Houston out. It's one of those things where what goes around comes around, and you always want to stay on the good side of things. So we figured this was an opportunity for us to show them some support and help out, and hopefully, at some point in time, they'll be able to repay the favor to us."

Rice only had around six months to prepare for hosting the event, which is much less than a school or conference normally bares.

Where does Houston basketball play?

Houston basketball plays at the Fertitta Center on the school's campus in Houston, Texas.  The Sweet 16 and Elite  Eight will take place at the Toyota Center, the home of the Houston Rockets, which is around a 10-minute drive away from the Houston campus.