Iowa City lands 2013 NCAA women’s tourney
The Iowa women’s basketball team has loaded the airplane for several NCAA Tournament trips over the last decade.
So coach Lisa Bluder was excited on Monday to find out that Iowa City was one of 16 host sites for first-and-second round NCAA Tournament games in 2013.
“To be able to play on your home court, to not have to travel, to have your fans there for you, to play in familiar surroundings, to sleep in your own bed … those things mean so much,” Bluder said. “If you go through the NCAA tournament, you see that people that host have the advantage.”
In three of the past four seasons Iowa has traveled to every corner of the country, playing in Norfolk, Va.; Stanford, Calif.; and Spokane, Wash.
Iowa (16-10) is trying to qualify for its fifth straight NCAA Tournament trip this spring. It is the second-longest streak in Hawkeye history. Iowa qualified nine straight years under former coach C. Vivian Stringer, from 1986 to 1994.
The NCAA tries to match up 16 sites with a home team to build up the attendance. Iowa ranked 13th in the NCAA in attendance last season (5,823).
And when Iowa last hosted in 2009, it had the fourth-highest attendance (5,615) of the 16 sites.
The dates in 2013 will be either March 23 and 25, or March 24 and 26. It is the 13th time Iowa has hosted, and second time under Bluder.
“Now you’ve got to make the tournament,” Bluder said. “That’s the added pressure. Iowa has done all this work, you want to do your job and make the tournament.”
In addition, most bubble teams can be pulled into the tournament if they are hosting.
“They are maybe not supposed to, but it certainly feels like it does,” Bluder said. “They want home schools hosting. They want the crowd.”
Iowa graduates four seniors, but expects to return three starters next fall.
2013 NCAA Championship First and Second Round Sites
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Pete Maravich Assembly Center)
University of Colorado
Boulder, Colorado (Coors Events Center)
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland (Comcast Center)
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas (Reed Arena)
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio (St. John Arena)
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina (Cameron Indoor Stadium)
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee (Thompson Boling Arena)
University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky (KFC Yum! Center)
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas (United Spirit Arena)
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware (Bob Carpenter Center)
St. John’s (NY) University
Queens, New York (Carnesecca Arena)
Gonzaga University
Spokane, Washington (McCarthey Athletic Center)
Stanford University
Stanford, California (Maples Pavilion)
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut (Gampel Pavilion)
Baylor University
Waco, Texas (Ferrell Center)
2013 NCAA Championship Regional Sites
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia (Ted Constant Center)
TBD
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Chesapeake Energy Center)
Washington State University
Spokane, Washington (Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena)
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Trenton, New Jersey (Sun National Bank Arena)
Category: Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball
