The NCAA announced on Monday that March Madness will return to Buffalo in 2014, marking the first appearance of the mighty basketball tourney in the Queen City since 2010.

According to NCAA.com, “...Buffalo will host second- and third-round games for a fifth time in 2014.” The East regional championship will be played in New York, as well, with Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden serving as the host. Syracuse will host the East Regional in 2015.

The host conference for the Buffalo games—which will be held, of course, at the First Niagara Center—will be the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, home to the Canisius College and Niagara University men’s basketball teams. The Golden Griffins have appeared in four NCAA tournaments, the last opportunity for national glory coming in 1996 when the young men from Main Street were boat-raced, 72-43, by Utah. The Purple Eagles have had more recent success, winning a play-in game over Florida A & M in 2007 before getting knocked out of the first round by Kansas. Niagara traveled as far as the Sweet Sixteen in 1970, when the Calvin Murphy-led squad picked off Pennsylvania before losing to Villanova.

Here are the young men of the University of Vermont getting ready for their 2010 NCAA tournament game in Buffalo:

Buffalo also hosted the 2003 NCAA men’s hockey Frozen Four tournament.

Photo by GoGriffs.com.