INDIANAPOLIS -- A first-time host and two locations that last hosted a championship round more than a decade ago highlight the first- and second-round and regional sites for the 2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, as selected by the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee.
Cities chosen to host first- and second-round games in 2014 include Ames, Iowa; Baton Rouge, La.; Chapel Hill, N.C.; College Park, Md.; College Station, Texas; Durham, N.C.; Iowa City, Iowa; Knoxville, Tenn.; Lexington, Ky.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Seattle, Wash.; Storrs, Conn.; Toledo, Ohio; University Park, Penn.; Waco, Texas; and West Lafayette, Ind. The four selected regional sites are Lincoln, Neb.; Louisville, Ky.; Notre Dame, Ind., and Stanford, Calif.
Toledo will be hosting Division I Women’s Basketball Championship play for the first time, while Los Angeles’ Pauley Pavilion, which hosted the 1984 NCAA Women’s Final Four, will see championship play for the first time since 1999. Lexington, which will host first- and second-round action, will be involved in championship play for the first time since the 1986 Women’s Final Four.
“The committee continues to look for ways to create a better in-arena atmosphere for our student-athletes, improve attendance and enhance the broadcast look of the games,” Carolayne Henry said, chair of the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee and senior associate commissioner/senior woman administrator at the Mountain West Conference. “The 2014 championship presented us with a unique opportunity for our institutional hosts during the regional rounds of play. The committee is continuing to look at other host and format options that make sense for our championship going into 2015 and beyond.”
The following first- and second-round sites will host games either Saturday, March 22, and Monday, March 24 or Sunday, March 23, and Tuesday, March 25, 2014 (dates to be determined):
| VENUE | SITE | HOST(S) |
|---|---|---|
| Hilton Coliseum | Ames, Iowa | Iowa State |
| Pete Maravich Assembly Center | Baton Rouge, La. | LSU |
| Carmichael Arena | Chapel Hill, N.C. | North Carolina |
| Comcast Center | College Park, Md. | Maryland |
| Reed Arena | College Station, Texas | Texas A&M |
| Cameron Indoor Stadium | Durham, N.C. | Duke |
| Carver-Hawkeye Arena | Iowa City, Iowa | Iowa |
| Thompson-Boling Arena | Knoxville, Tenn. | Tennessee |
| Memorial Coliseum | Lexington, Ky. | Kentucky |
| Pauley Pavilion | Los Angeles, Calif. | UCLA |
| Alaska Airlines Arena | Seattle, Wash. | Washington |
| Harry A. Gampel Pavilion | Storrs, Conn. | Connecticut |
| Savage Arena | Toledo, Ohio | Toledo |
| Bryce Jordan Center | University Park, Pa. | Penn State |
| Ferrell Center | Waco, Texas | Baylor |
| Mackey Arena | West Lafayette, Ind. | Purdue |
The following regional sites will host games either Saturday, March 29, and Monday, March 31 or Sunday, March 30, and Tuesday, April 1, 2014 (dates to be determined):
| REGIONAL | VENUE | SITE | HOST(S) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Regional | Pinnacle Bank Arena | Lincoln, Neb. | Nebraska |
| Louisville Regional | KFC Yum! Center | Louisville, Ky. | Louisville |
| Notre Dame Regional | Joyce Center | Notre Dame, Ind. | Notre Dame |
| Stanford Regional | Maples Pavilion | Stanford, Calif. | Stanford |
All roads from the preliminary rounds will lead to Nashville, site of the 2014 NCAA Women’s Final Four to be played April 6 and 8 at Bridgestone Arena.
Tickets for the preliminary rounds will be available for purchase no later than Nov. 16.
