Michael DeMasi is reporting in the Albany Business Review the Times Union Center in Albany has lost its bid to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament this spring. The NCAA announced Fri., Oct. 7, that Greenville, South Carolina, was chosen to host the games in March. Albany and other cities were competing after the games were pulled from North Carolina as a result of that state legislature's passage of HB2, the controversial law that restricts bathroom access for transgender people. The NCAA reviewed the bids based on various criteria, including a site's capacity to host the championship event, and the ability to "ensure a quality student-athlete experience." The games would have been a big first test for the new convention center currently under construction next to the sports arena, which is scheduled to open in March. The Division I men's basketball tournament was last held in Albany in 2003. Read the full story in the Albany Business Review.