KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After a two-year vacation, the Big 12 Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament returns to Kansas City, Mo., today.

Kemper Arena used to play host to the Big Eight Men’s Basketball Tournament, but when Texas, Texas A&M;, Texas Tech and Baylor joined the league, southern division teams lobbied for the tournament site to be moved.

Kansas City held the first six Big 12 Tournaments, but then it was moved to American Airlines Arena in Dallas.

With the tournament back in northern territory, coaches and players used media day yesterday to voice their opinions on where the tournament should be held in the future.

“We are excited to be back in Kansas City,” Nebraska coach Barry Collier said. “Not only for Husker fans, but for the people in Kansas City as well. The people here put on a great tournament and provide a great atmosphere for our athletes.”

The atmosphere that Kemper Arena provides is unique. History and tradition run through every room in the stadium.

Both the men’s and women’s Final Fours have been held here, and so have countless NCAA regional and sub-regional tournaments.

It used to be home to the Kansas City Kings, of the NBA, and the Kansas City Scouts, of the NHL.

Fans have traveled from all across the country to watch games here, and players always seem to be greeted with open arms.

“Kansas City has always put on one of the best tournaments in the country,” Texas A&M; coach Billy Gillispie said. “The hospitality is unmatched.”

Gillispie said his only previous trip to Kemper Arena came as an assistant coach at Baylor, and his greatest regret was only getting to stay for a day. The Bears lost their opening round game that year.

Iowa State senior forward Jared Homan agreed with Gillispie, because Iowa State fans come to Kansas City in droves, but only a few showed up in Dallas.

“It’s a great place to play,” he said. “Especially if you’re an Iowa Stater. We travel very well to this venue since we are so close.”

If fan support were the only thing that went into selecting a host site, Kansas City might win every year, but that simply isn’t the case.

The Big 12 championship football game rotates venues, and a number of cities want a piece of the Big 12 Tournament, like they do the football championship game.

“I think Dallas, Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Kansas City would all be very good sites,” Gillispie said. “You’d always like it to be close to home, but not everyone is always going to be happy with the placement.”

Another reason the tournament was moved away from Kansas City is because Kemper Arena has become old and outdated.

The outer concourse is too narrow and concession stand lines are always backed up. Birds always seem to be flying around the top of the stadium, and the atmosphere outside the arena does not compete with Dallas’ West End district.

The NCAA said it would no longer hold a sub-regional event in Kemper Arena, and the Big 12 Tournament is already committed to Dallas in 2006 and Oklahoma City in 2007.

To solve this problem, Kansas City plans to build Sprint Arena, which will be a state-of-the-art facility located in the heart of downtown.

Rumors have spread that once Sprint Arena is completed, the Big 12 Tournament will return to Kansas City for good.

“The state of Texas did a great job with the tournament the last couple of years,” Colorado coach Ricardo Patton said. “But I think Kansas City is the home of the Big 12 tournament.”

Only time will tell if that kind of talk turns out to be a reality, but most coaches are in favor of moving the tournament site each year.

“I think the way it has rotated so far has worked,” Gillispie said. “There’s really no reason to mess with it.”