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NCAA tournament floor installed at CenturyLink Center

Posted at 8:10 AM, Mar 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-20 09:10:16-04

Monday, the CenturyLink Center got a new look for the NCAA Midwest Regional. 

According to Kate Sims of Connor Sports, the company that made the brand new floor, a 12 person crew took 12 hours to install the new court. 

The creation of the floor began in the fall of 2017 and had three phases. First, the timber is harvested, then the panels are assembled and finally it is painted, sanded and shipped to the destination. In total, it took about six months to have it Omaha-ready. 

The court, however, is only part of the preparation. 

"Between meeting with hotels and security and busses and airport people, there are a lot of hands in this to make it a success," Creighton associate athletic director Kevin Sarver said. 

The planning starts 18 months in advance, but all involved feel the pay off will be worth it. 

"It's huge for Omaha to have four teams coming in who have a chance of going to the Final Four," Sarver said. "We've hosted preliminary rounds before but that's just first and second round, but to have the opportunity to host a regional is exciting."