The San Antonio region will host the entire Division I women’s basketball tournament, the NCAA announced Friday, a move made to help mitigate the risks of COVID-19.
Last month, the NCAA announced the entire men’s tournament would be held in the Indianapolis area.
The women’s tournament will still feature 64 teams and will run from March 21 to April 4. The NCAA will use five sites for the opening round, including the University of Texas, which is 80 miles from San Antonio. The Alamodome will host games for every round, with two courts in use at the building. The Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four and title game will all be played there.
The NCAA said it was still figuring out how it will seed the tournament as far as who goes to which venue, as well as what would happen in the worst case scenario of a team being unable to compete because of COVID-19.
No decision has been made yet on whether fans can attend, although at minimum it’s hoped that at least up to six family members or friends of the participants could attend the tournament pending local health guidelines. Most of the venues being used are already allowing limited attendance at their events.