Watch the panel right here LIVE at 10 a.m.

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — March Madness is just around the corner, which means we are just weeks away from the Men’s Final Four in New Orleans.

On Monday, February 21, Governor John Bel Edwards and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell will meet with NCAA officials and the New Orleans Local Organizing Committee for a kick-off press conference on event details.

Panelists for Monday’s discussion include:

  • Governor John Bel Edwards
  • Mayor LaToya Cantrell
  • Tom Burnett, Chair of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee and Southland Conference Commissioner
  • Dan Gavitt, NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball
  • JoAn Scott, NCAA Managing Director, Men’s Basketball Championships
  • Jeff Rossi, Executive Director, 2022 New Orleans Local Organizing Committee and Senior Vice President of Events at Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation
  • Keith Gill, Commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference and member of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee
  • David Sherman, Co-Chair, New Orleans Local Organizing Committee
  • Paul Valteau, Co-Chair, New Orleans Local Organizing Committee
  • Tim Duncan, Vice President of Athletics and Recreation, University of New Orleans
  • Troy Dannen, Director of Athletics, Tulane University

Some of the discussion’s talking points will be:

  • Expected economic outlook of the event
  • Event planning details
  • Highlights of the NCAA community projects and ancillary events

The Men’s Final Four tips off on April 2 and 4, 2022. This year marks the 6th time the event has come to the Big Easy, holding an NCAA record.

Officials add the Men’s Final Four will mark a huge milestone for the city and the state as it is one of the first major sports events to headline in the region since the strike of the COVID-19 pandemic.