BURN THE HORSE
UALR will make the official announcement today, but word is already out.As reported first here on Tuesday, UALRs Jack Stephens Center has been selected to host the first and second rounds of the 2012 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship. The games will be played either Saturday, March 17 and Monday, March 19 or Sunday March 18 and Tuesday, March 20.
Other first-round sites are Nashville, Tenn., Ames, Iowa, Baton Rouge, La., Bowling Green, Ohio, Bridgeport, Conn., Chapel Hill, N.C., Chicago, College Park, Md., College Station, Texas, Norfolk, Va., Norman, Okla., Notre Dame, Ind., Spokane, Wash., Tallahassee, Fla. and West Lafayette, Ind.
The Regional sites for 2012 are Des Moines, Iowa, Fresno, Calif., Kingston, R.I., and Raleigh, N.C.
"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."
If UALR qualifies for the 2012 NCAA Women's Tournament it will play its first two games at the Stephens Center.
UALR might want to consider redshirting everyone this year to make a run at 2012. The Trojans are the preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt Conference in 2011. It appears 2012 will be a rebuilding year for the Trojans.
