OHIO COUNTY, W.Va. (WTRF)–Wheeling’s WesBanco Arena will soon be filled with college basketball fans.  

The Mountain East Conference basketball tournament kicks off on Wednesday.  

Ten out of the twelve teams in the conference from both the men’s and women’s teams qualify to compete. 

The MEC is made up of 10 D1 colleges and universities in West Virginia, one in Maryland, and one in Ohio. 

Commissioner of the MEC Reid Amos says the top five crowds in the history of their basketball tournament have occurred at WesBanco Arena, exceeding three thousand fans.

Move in day. The day before the tournament kicks off there is always a sense of excitement. It’s always fun to be a part of watching the arena transform to prepare for our event here at WesBanco…18 games over a period of five days. Nine women’s games, nine men’s games over that period of time before we crown two Mountain East Conference basketball tournament champions, and both will receive automatic qualification the NCAA division II Atlantic regional.

Reid Amos, Commissioner MEC 

Tip-off is Wednesday at noon.  

Tickets can be purchased in person or in advance at WesBancoArena.com.

Tournament information can be found at MountainEastConference.org.