The NCAA Women’s Tournament will be a two-host format in next year’s regional rounds, with eight teams each playing in Seattle and Greenville.
Each of these sites will host two regional semifinal games on March 24, and two more regional semifinal games on March 25.
The move could smooth the way to another championship for coach Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks, who won national titles in 2017 and 2022. So you don’t have to leave the state to reach the Final Four.
This year’s Final Four will be held in Dallas, the same city where Gamecocks won their first national title.
The SEC Women’s Tournament will also be held in Greenville from 2023-2025, returning for the first time in a year in 2022. From 2019 she was in Greenville until 21 and again in 2017.
The Gamecocks won three of the four SEC tournaments held in Greenville during that period.
Historically, the NCAA Tournament has had four regional sites. A future format was agreed to improve attendance by adding more teams to fewer sites.
The NCAA Tournament pairings will be announced on March 12, the same day the Men’s Tournament announces the teams.
The first four opening round women’s games will take place March 15-16 and take place on the campuses of the top 16 seeded teams. All sites bidding on Round 64 and Round 32 games may also host First For Games.
USC hosted a First Four game featuring Incarnate Word and Howard last season before opening the tournament.
Beth Goetz, Athletic Director of Ball State, will serve as NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Chairperson for 2022-23. Lisa Peterson, Oregon Deputy Director of Athletics, is Vice Chair and will assume the role in 2023-24.
“This is a very important time for our sport and our championship,” Goetz said in a statement released by the NCAA. “The Commission is committed to continuing to work with the women’s basketball community and staff to ensure she continues her role as steward of the NCAA Tournament, one of the world’s largest sporting events.”
Planning for the 2023 Championship also included updates on operations, officials, travel, ticketing, branding, broadcast, digital/social and media. The committee received a report on her plans for the 2023 Women’s Final Four in Dallas. It will be at the American Airlines Center where she will host the second joint Women’s Basketball National Championship Game for Divisions I, II and III over two days.
The Commission also received an update on the selection process for the Women’s Final Four Sights, which will announce the 2027-31 venue in November.
Tickets for Greenville and the Seattle Regional go on sale October 20th.
