IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa and Carver-Hawkeye Arena have been selected by the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee to serve as one of 16 first-and-second round hosts for the 2013 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship. Games will take place either Saturday, March 23 and Monday, March 25 or Sunday, March 24 and Tuesday, March 26.
“We are extremely excited to host first and second round NCAA Tournament games next season,” head coach Lisa Bluder said. “This gives the University of Iowa and our women’s basketball team a chance to showcase our great arena after the renovations that took place last year. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to host this great event.”
The 2013 NCAA Championship will mark the 12th time the University of Iowa has served as a host. Iowa hosted its first NCAA action in 1986 when it was one of four regional final sites. Carver-Hawkeye Arena also hosted from 1986-90, 1992-94, 1996-98 and in 2009. Carver-Hawkeye Arena has hosted the regional finals four times and first and/or second round games 10 times.
“We are very pleased to be a part of the 2013 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship,” UI Director of Athletics Gary Barta said. “We have an outstanding venue in Carver-Hawkeye Arena that has a rich tradition in hosting NCAA championship competition. I am confident that our fans will once again show great support for NCAA women’s basketball next March.”
Iowa last hosted a first-and-second round site in 2009. Despite having late afternoon and evening games on a Sunday in March of 2009, Iowa’s site recorded the fourth-highest first round attendance (5,615).
“The news of us hosting next year is also a testament to our amazing fan base,” Bluder said. “They have always showed great support, not only for Iowa women’s basketball, but for NCAA women’s basketball. We are very happy that our fans will get a chance to see NCAA Tournament games inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.”
“As a committee we are excited that in 2013 our championship will be hosted by institutions from nine different conferences, with Delaware and St. John’s hosting for the first time,” said Greg Christopher, director of athletics at Bowling Green State University and chair of the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee. “Having this geographic blend of sites is important to the committee as we continue to grow the game of women’s basketball.”
2013 NCAA Championship First and Second Round Sites
Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Pete Maravich Assembly Center)
University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado (Coors Events Center)
University of Maryland College Park, Maryland (Comcast Center)
Texas A&M University College Station, Texas (Reed Arena)
The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio (St. John Arena)
Duke University Durham, North Carolina (Cameron Indoor Stadium)
University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)
University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee (Thompson Boling Arena)
University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky (KFC Yum! Center)
Texas Tech University Lubbock, Texas (United Spirit Arena)
University of Delaware Newark, Delaware (Bob Carpenter Center)
St. John’s (NY) University Queens, New York (Carnesecca Arena)
Gonzaga University Spokane, Washington (McCarthey Athletic Center)
Stanford University Stanford, California (Maples Pavilion)
University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut (Gampel Pavilion)
Baylor University Waco, Texas (Ferrell Center)
2013 NCAA Championship Regional Sites
Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia (Ted Constant Center)
TBD Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Chesapeake Energy Center)
Washington State University Spokane, Washington (Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena)
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Trenton, New Jersey (Sun National Bank Arena)
