The 23rd Annual National Christian Homeschool Basketball Championship is March 9-16 at more than 20 gymnasiums throughout the Springfield area.

The tournament planner is projecting more than 300 teams from nearly 30 states to participate in the tournament.

Planners expect 8,000 people, including about 3,200 players, to be in the city for the event. This marks the sixth year the tournament has taken place in Springfield and it is scheduled to take place in the city through at least 2017.

An estimated 7,500 hotel room nights are generated by the event and $3.65 million in visitor spending occurs during the tournament.

The event concludes with championship play on March 14 at Hammons Student Center on the Missouri State University campus.

The game schedule is:

·         3 p.m. - Varsity Girls All Region Game

·         3:30 p.m. - Varsity Boys All Region Game

·         4:15 p.m. - Varsity Girls Undisputed National Championship Game

·         5:30 p.m. - Varsity Boys Undisputed National Championship Game

·         6:45 p.m. - Varsity Boys & Girls All American Games

·         7:15 p.m. - Awards Ceremony for ALL Age Groups

Spectators are welcome. All games are free admission.

For more information or to see updated brackets during the event, visit www.hslive365.com/index.php or  http://nchclive.com/.

To learn more about this event and others brought to the city by the Springfield Sports Commission and the Convention & Visitors Bureau, call 417-881-5300 or 800-678-8767. The nonprofit organizations are dedicated to boosting the local economy through increases in overnight travel to Springfield.