Oct. 26, 2010
SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University was one of 16 institutions selected to host the first-and-second rounds of the 2012 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament as announced by the NCAA Tuesday. The Bulldogs, who are also hosting the first-and-second rounds for the first-time this season, will host the opening weekend action at the McCarthey Athletic Center on either Saturday, March 17 and Monday, March 19 or Sunday, March 18 and Tuesday, March 20, 2012 (dates to be determined in June 2011).
"Obviously we are extremely excited," stated eleventh year women's basketball head coach Kelly Graves. "It is truly a testament to the growth of our program as well as the support of our great community. Women's basketball is part of our culture, fabric of this community, and we are honored to again be the host. And as I stated last year, it is also a great opportunity for Gonzaga to showcase our beautiful arena, our great fans, and our basketball team."
Other Universities hosting first-and-second round games are Iowa State University, Louisiana State University, Bowling Green University, Fairfield University, University of North Carolina, DePaul University, University of Maryland, Texas A&M University, University of Arkansas, Vanderbilt University, Old Dominion University, University of Oklahoma, University of Notre Dame, Florida State University and Purdue University.
"As a committee we are excited that in 2010 our championship will be hosted by institutions from 14 different conference, with College Station, Little Rock and Kingston hosting for the first time," said Marilyn McNeil, vice president and director of athletics at Monmouth University and chair of the Division I Women's Basketball Committee. "Having this blend of sites is important to the committee as we continue to look for ways to grow our game."
Ticket prices and on-sale dates for the 2012 first-and-second round games will be announced at a later time. Tickets for this year's (2011) NCAA first-and-second round games at the McCarthey Athletic Center are currently on sale through the Bulldog ticket office. Tickets for the 2011 games set for Mach 19 and March 21 can be purchased by calling the Gonzaga Ticket Office at 509.313.6000 or via the internet by clicking here. Gonzaga has already sold nearly 2,100 tickets for the 2011 opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
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The following first- and second-round sites will host games either Saturday, March 17, and Monday, March 19 or Sunday, March 18 and Tuesday, March 20, 2012 (dates to be determined in June 2011):
Site Host(s)
Hilton Coliseum
Ames, Iowa
Iowa State University
Pete Maravich Assembly Center
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Louisiana State University
Stroh Center
Bowling Green, Ohio
Bowling Green State University
Arena at Harbor Yard
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Fairfield University
Carmichael Arena
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Allstate Arena
Chicago, Illinois
DePaul University
Comcast Center
College Park, Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
Reed Arena
College Station, Texas
Texas A&M University, College Station
Jack Stevens Center
Little Rock, Arkansas
University of Arkansas, Little Rock
Memorial Gymnasium
Nashville, Tennessee
Vanderbilt University
Ted Constant Center
Norfolk, Virginia
Old Dominion University
Lloyd Noble Center
Norman, Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
Joyce Center
Notre Dame, Indiana
University of Notre Dame
McCarthey Athletic Center
Spokane, Washington
Gonzaga University
Tucker Center
Tallahassee, Florida
Florida State University
Mackey Arena
West Lafayette, Indiana
Purdue University
The following regional sites will host games either Saturday, March 24 and Monday, March 26 or Sunday, March 25 and Tuesday, March 27, 2012 (dates to be determined in June, 2011):
Site Host(s)
Wells Fargo Arena
Des Moines, Iowa
University of Northern Iowa
SaveMart Center
Fresno, California
California State University, Fresno
The Ryan Center
Kingston, Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island
RBC Center
Raleigh, North Carolina
North Carolina State University
