Will NCAAs return to Utah?

Could Saturday's second-round matchups pitting Boston College-Montana and Gonzaga-Indiana be the final NCAA tournament games ever played in the Huntsman Center?

Perhaps, but probably not.

The venue, which will have hosted 81 games over 15 years, faces a somewhat uncertain future. A lack of floor space to accommodate media and a seating capacity of 15,000 could limit future opportunities to host the tournament.

Ever-changing NCAA standards have already had an impact on Utah's 37-year-old facility. The Huntsman Center is no longer deemed large enough to host the Final Four — as it did in 1979 when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird squared off — or even a regional.

First- and second-round games, though, have proven popular. This year's edition sold out faster than any in the arena's history. Even so, University of Utah officials are seeking creative options to continue drawing the event. Expanding press row into the permanent seats (where media overflow already exists) and/or raising ticket prices for each session by $10 to compensate for revenue that could be gained at a bigger arena is also being considered.

All efforts to keep the nation's most used on-campus tournament facility in the loop are being taken, but just in case new requirements can't be met there's a contingency plan in the works.

Utah officials have submitted dual bids — one for the Huntsman Center and one for the more spacious Delta Center downtown — to host future NCAA tournament games.

Steve Pyne, the U.'s tournament manager, is hopeful Utah will be awarded first- and second-round games at the Huntsman Center in 2009 and regionals at the Delta Center in 2010.

"We'd love that," he said. "It would be the best of both worlds."

Though it's possible the Delta Center and its 19,911 seats could get both, Pyne said Utah has indicated its preference is to host early round games at the Huntsman Center. The arena will surpass Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium as the NCAA's most frequent tournament location if it is awarded more games past 2006.

Such distinction, Pyne added, would mean a lot to the university.

"It's important to us. We take a lot of pride in it," Pyne said. "We enjoy it and I think it reflects on administrators and people that come in."