The Big Hoopla: Several events taking place in Dayton Sunday prior to First Four

DAYTON — We will find out Sunday night who will be playing in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and which teams will start in the First Four here in Dayton.

Ahead of finding out who will be taking court at the UD Arena, there will be activities Sunday for the whole family as part of the Big Hoopla.

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There will the Big Hoopla 4 Miler Sunday morning.

It is a four-mile race that starts and ends next to UD Arena.

“Of course, it’s not a 5K. It’s a four-miler because of it being the ‘First Four,’ said Sarah Spees, The Big Hoopla Committee Director. “And it’s a great route from right outside UD [Arena] parking lot along the [Great Miami] River corridor.” Sarah Spees.

Registration opens at 7:30 a.m. and the race will start at 9:00 a.m.

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Spees told News Center 7′s John Bedell she has been working behind the scenes with others to make all the events this weekend happen.

The Big Hoopla committee helps support the play-in tournament games in Dayton and events around it.

One of the events returning this year is the Hoopla STEM Challenge. This year, the challenge will be at the Dayton Convention Center on Sunday.

“It kind of is a really unique way to combine basketball fun and STEM education,” Spees said.

The challenge is a free event for kindergarten through eighth grade students and has hands-on and interactive exhibits related to science, technology, engineering and math.

Registration opens at 11 a.m. and the opening ceremony begins at 12:30 p.m., according to the Big Hoopla’s website.

“It really shows a great variety of these students to help them understand what STEM education field they might be interested in when they grow up,” she said.

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There’s even a “Hot Shot” contest at the STEM challenge with two winners from each age group getting the chance to walk onto the floor during Tuesday night’s NCAA games at UD Arena and make a shot on the court.

More information on The Big Hoopla can be found here.

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