Oct. 26, 2010
INDIANAPOLIS - Texas A&M University's Reed Arena was selected as one of 16 sites for the first and second rounds of the 2012 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship, the NCAA Women's Basketball Committee announced Tuesday.
As the only site in the state of Texas and one of just three Big 12 schools, Texas A&M will host first and second round games at Reed Arena either Saturday, March 17, and Monday, March 19, or Sunday, March 18 and Tuesday, March 20, 2012. Exact dates will be determined in June 2011.
"I'm truly excited the NCAA has selected us to host the 2012 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship First and Second Rounds," said Bill Byrne, Director of Athletics. "Hosting this event is so important for the continued success of our women's basketball team. Unlike the men's championship, our women would play their first two NCAA games on our home court. It gives our team a distinct home court advantage and it makes a significant impact on our local economy. Our staff has worked hard with the Bryan-College Station Convention and Visitors Bureau, area hotels, and our arena the past two years in trying to secure this event for Coach Gary Blair and our team."
The 2012 event will mark the first time for A&M to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament under its current bid format. The Aggies last hosted the first round of the 1994 NCAA Tournament at G. Rollie White Coliseum on March 16, 1994, when A&M defeated Florida, 78-76. The team advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 that season.
"I feel like a politician and we've just won the race," head coach Gary Blair said. "They've sent us everywhere in the past five years, so it'll be good to be here at home in 2012. The key now is making sure my team is in the NCAA Tournament to ensure we get a good crowd. We're the last program here on campus to be able to host (an NCAA event) and it says a lot that our athletic department is putting in the money and backing us. It took a lot of hard work from a lot of people to make this happen and it will be a great event for Texas A&M and the Bryan/College Station community."
The Aggies made their fifth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance under Blair in 2010, the program's seventh overall. A&M most notably made a run to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2008 and followed with a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2009.
"As a committee we are excited that in 2012 our championship will be hosted by institutions from 14 different conferences, 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."
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
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa
Pete Maravich Assembly Center
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Stroh Center
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio
Arena at Harbor Yard
Fairfield University
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Carmichael Arena
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Allstate Arena
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois
Comcast Center
University of Maryland, College Park
College Park, Maryland
Reed Arena
Texas A&M University, College Station
College Station, Texas
Jack Stevens Center
University of Arkansas, Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Memorial Gymnasium
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee
Ted Constant Center
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia
Lloyd Noble Center
University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Joyce Center
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana
McCarthey Athletic Center
Gonzaga University
Spokane, Washington
Tucker Center
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
Mackey Arena
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana
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
University of Northern Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
SaveMart Center
California State University, Fresno
Fresno, California
The Ryan Center
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, Rhode Island
RBC Center
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina