Columbus, Ohio State to host Women's Basketball in 2011The Ohio State University's St. John Arena will host the first- and second-round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in 2011. The Ohio State University and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission partnered on the Columbus bid. The games will be played at St. John Arena in March 2011, and will be the second time in three years that Columbus has hosted the tournament's opening round. First- and second-rounds were held at Nationwide Arena in March 2009. The 2011 games will be played either March 19 and 21 or March 20 and 22, with those dates to be determined in June 2010. Other cities chosen to host first- and second-round games in 2011 include Albuquerque, N.M.; Auburn, Alabama; Charlottesville, Va.; Cincinnati; College Park, Md.; Durham, N.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Spokane, Wash.; Shreveport, La.; Palo Alto, Ca.; Storrs, Conn.; University Park, Pa.; Waco, Texas; and Wichita, Kansas. The four selected regional sites are Dayton; Philadelphia; Dallas; and Spokane, Wash. "The committee was pleased with the level of interest in our championship that we found from cities, institutions and conferences across the country," said Jane Meyer, senior associate director of athletics at the University of Iowa and chair of the Division I Women's Basketball Committee. "Of the 20 preliminary sites for 2011, we have 11 different conferences represented, with Wichita and Shreveport hosting for the first time." |