LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee has selected The Jack Stephens Center, UALR, and the city of Little Rock as one of the 16 sites for the 2012 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship first and second rounds. This will be the first time that Little Rock has served as a host site for the women’s tournament.
“It gives me great pleasure to announce that yesterday the NCAA selected UALR, The Jack Stephens Center, and the Greater Little Rock area as a host for the 2012 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship first and second rounds,” said Chris Peterson, Director of Athletics at UALR.
“First and foremost, we need to thank the Stephens Family, for without the philanthropic ways of Jack Stephens and the Stephens family, we would not have this opportunity,” added Peterson. “The Jack Stephens Center is the finest basketball facility of its size in the country. Because of that and the fact that the Greater Little Rock area proved itself as a host in 2008, we were selected.”
Hosting the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship first and second rounds in the great city of Little Rock would not be possible without the generosity of Jack Stephens and the Stephens family, Arkansas River Cities Sports Commission, UALR, the Greater Little Rock area, and season ticket holders and basketball fans.
“This is an exciting day for Little Rock and UALR,” said Gretchen Hall, Director of Merchandising and Communications for the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Central Arkansas has played host to multiple national sporting events, and the NCAA Women's Basketball Championships will, no doubt, be a great event for basketball fans throughout the state to enjoy.”
UALR along with 15 other sites will host the first and second rounds either Saturday, March 17 and Monday, March 19, or Sunday, March 18 and Tuesday, March 20, 2012. The dates will be determined in June of 2011 by the NCAA.
The 16 sites for the 2012 first and second rounds include:
Hilton Coliseum – Ames, Iowa (host Iowa State)
Pete Maravich Assembly Center – Baton Rouge, La. (host LSU)
Stroh Center – Bowling Green, Ohio (host Bowling Green State)
Arena at Harbor Yard – Bridgeport, Conn. (host Fairfield University)
Carmichael Arena – Chapel Hill, N.C. (host North Carolina)
Allsate Arena – Chicago, Ill. (host DePaul)
Comcast Center – College Park, M.D. (host Maryland)
Reed Arena – College Station, Texas (host Texas A&M)
The Jack Stephens Center – Little Rock, Ark. (host UALR)
Memorial Gymnasium – Nashville, Tenn. (host Vanderbilt)
Ted Constant Center – Norfolk, Va. (host Old Dominion)
Lloyd Noble Center – Norman, Okla. (host Oklahoma)
Joyce Center – Notre Dame, Ind. (host Notre Dame)
McCarthey Athletic Center – Spokane, Wash. (host Gonzaga)
Tucker Center – Tallahassee, Fla. (host Florida State)
Mackey Arena – West Lafayette, Ind. (host Purdue)
“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.”
2012 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship
First and Second RoundsFact Sheet