Connor Sports of Michigan will provide the official basketball courts for this year’s NCAA March Madness Final Four for the 15th year in a row.
The men’s events will take place on April 3 and 5, while the women’s events will take place on April 2.
In addition to the Men’s and Women’s Final Fours, Connor Sports hosts the men’s and women’s Regional March Madness games, as well as the first and second rounds of the annual men’s tournament.
The 2021 Men’s Final Four court is made of sustainably harvested first-grade northern hard maple certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
The annual cycle begins in late autumn, when maple trees in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula are felled and harvested. The maple is dried for months to achieve moisture levels of 6 to 9 percent.
In January, the wood is cut to the same width and thickness and quality-inspected.
It is milled before being joined into panels to ensure smoothness. Each panel is cut to the same size before being delivered to one of the company’s finishing partners for sanding, finishing, and graphics application.
The March Madness game courts are over 110,000 square feet in size, with 4,000 4×7-foot panels weighing 188 pounds each, for a total weight of over 150,000 pounds.
The NCAA has an agreement with the corporation that will expire in 2025.
Connor Sports has built maple hardwood basketball courts for 12 NBA teams, as well as hundreds of NCAA and high school institutions.
It is the company that has the most sports surfacing systems. Every year, approximately 800 regular-sized basketball courts are built.
Connor Sports, founded in 1872, was the first company to manufacture modular sport surfaces for both outdoor and indoor athletics.
Connor Sports employs 250 people and operates two manufacturing plants in the United States.
