Monday, December 1, 2014

SMG Venues to Host Four Upcoming NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championships

West Conshohocken, PA (December 1, 2014) - SMG-managed facilities were awarded four bids when the NCAA announced host sites for upcoming NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championships last month. The Smoothie King Center (New Orleans, La.) was selected to host the Women’s Final Four in 2020 and the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Stockton Center (Stockton, Calif.) and Chesapeake Energy Arena (Oklahoma City, Okla.) were selected as hosts for upcoming regional play.


“We appreciate the NCAA’s continued confidence in SMG-managed facilities to host women’s basketball championships at the highest level. The venues awarded championships worked tirelessly to secure these bids, and will work diligently to ensure the fans, athletic departments and student-athletes have an unforgettable experience during their time at our venues,” said Doug Thornton, Executive Vice-President Stadiums and Arenas.

The Smoothie King Center in New Orleans will host the Women’s Final Four for a record fourth time in 2020, with games played April 3 and April 5. The arena previously hosted national championships in 2004 and 2013.

Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, which opened earlier this year, was awarded its first bid for 2016, which will also be the first championship games ever played in the state of South Dakota. The Stockton Center also received its first hosting opportunity in 2017.

“The committee continues to look for new markets and venues in which to play the championship and were pleased that new hosts like Sioux Fall and Stockton joined the other more veteran sites in providing a home for our championship,” said Dru Hancock, chair of the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee and senior associate commission at the Big 12 Conference.

Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla., will serve as a host site in 2017. It had previously hosted regionals in 2008, 2009 and 2013.