OKLAHOMA CITY ? The Big 12 Conference announced Tuesday that Dallas would play host to the league’s men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in 2006 before the events shifted to Oklahoma City in 2007.

Big 12 officials weren’t about to commit to any dates beyond that.

Commissioner Kevin Weiberg said the conference decided to award the championships only for the next two years so it could revisit the process once prospects for new basketball arenas in Kansas City, Mo., and Tulsa, Okla., and a new football stadium in Dallas develop further or end up eliminated from the picture.

Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Kay Barnes last month unveiled plans for a new $225 million to $250 million arena, to be known as the Sprint Center, saying it would be open in time for the 2007 men’s tournament. She said she anticipated the Big 12 only awarding championships for a few years.

“It demonstrates their recognition that we have something very exciting happening in Kansas City,” Barnes said.

The Sprint Center would replace 30-year-old Kemper Arena, which for years was the exclusive home of the Big Eight and Big 12 tournaments.

“We would love to have the tournament permanently,” Barnes said. “If that’s not possible, then as often as we possibly can.”

The conference’s football championship, which will be played in Kansas City this year, will be played in Houston in 2005 before returning to Kansas City in 2006.

“Clearly this has been a successful effort, and we are elated to host the football championship,” said Kevin Gray, president of the Kansas City Sports Commission. “Our No. 1 goal was to make sure we were in the rotation for football and basketball.”

It also was a big day for Oklahoma City, which landed the conference’s baseball tournament for 2006 and 2007.

Oklahoma City has never played host to the Big 12 basketball tournaments, which were played in Kansas City, Mo., from 1997 to 2002, then moved to Dallas, where the conference is headquartered, the past two seasons.

The basketball tournaments return to Kansas City next season and will be played in Dallas in 2006.

In 2007, men’s games will be played in Oklahoma City at the Ford Center and women’s games will be played at the Cox Convention Center.

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said he hoped the Big 12 would consider rotating the basketball tournaments through Oklahoma City, Dallas and Kansas City.

Weiberg said the championships were awarded with considerations for geography, ease of travel for fans, quality of facilities and potential to generate revenue for the conference.

Cornett pointed out Oklahoma City’s central location to the country and the Big 12. He said the fact that the two basketball sites are across the street from one another is also advantageous for Oklahoma City.

Kansas coach Bill Self agrees Oklahoma City is a good place for the tourney.

“That’s a very neutral site between the north and south. It’s also only four hours from Lawrence,” Self said Monday.

“I think that’s important, not having to travel a long ways for the conference tournament. You never know where they will send you for the NCAA Tournament.”

Self grew up in the Oklahoma City area.

“That’s not bad for me, since that’s my home,” Self said, “although Kansas City I believe is the best place to have it. Hopefully the beginning of the construction of the new arena will definitely be evidence enough for Kansas City to host real soon after 2007.”

In the past, the conference has expressed reservations about whether there were enough hotel rooms in Oklahoma City.

“We believe it is not a concern,” Weiberg said. “I know there has been growth in the hotel community, and Oklahoma City has met our specifications for the number of required hotel rooms.

“When you’re hosting an event in a city for the first time, you’ve always got some trepidation about how these kinds of things will play out. I think by going into the 2007 basketball tournament in Oklahoma City, we have some time here to work with the city leadership to make that the hotel/motel situation is as good as it can possibly be.”

Cornett said the city has about 1,000 hotel rooms now and will have 200 to 300 more in 2006 with the completion of renovations at the historic Skirvin Hotel and the construction of an Embassy Suites downtown.

Weiberg said the fact that the Big 12 has played host to NCAA Tournament games in Oklahoma City — and will do so again next year — also allayed concerns about playing its basketball tournaments at the sites.

Officials said the men’s tournament cost the city $6 million, but Dallas has estimated the financial impact of the tournament to be $40 million.

“This is an extremely proud day for Oklahoma City,” Cornett said.

The baseball tournament will return to SBC Bricktown Ballpark, which played host to it from 1998 to 2001 and again in 2003, next season. The tournament was played at Ameriquest Field in Arlington, Texas, in 2002 and again this year.