AUBURN - The 2011 women's NCAA Tournament is coming to Auburn's new basketball arema.
The Division I Women's Basketball Committee announced Thursday that the Auburn will be host for first- and second-round games in its first year of operation.
"We are excited about our selection as a host site for the NCAA Women's
Basketball Tournament in 2011,” Auburn athletics director Jay Jaconbs said. “The new Auburn Arena will be one of the finest basketball facilities in the nation and will be an ideal venue for the tournament. It is an honor for Auburn to host this event and is an outstanding opportunity to showcase the new arena before a nationally televised audience."
The 2011 event will mark the first time for Auburn to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament under its current bid format. The Tigers hosted NCAA Tournament games on nine occasions between 1983
and 1993, posting an 11-0 record over that time. Auburn last hosted on
March 21, 1993 when the Tigers downed Louisville, 66-61.
“I am very excited and proud of the hard work our administration put forth in securing this bid,” Auburn women's basketball coach Nell Fortner said. “We will have a great new arena to showcase and we have a community that is supportive of women’s basketball. It will be a tremendous showcase of women’s basketball.”
Auburn will be one of 16 first- and second-round sites in 2011.
The Tigers made their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance in
2009, the team’s 18th overall, finishing the season with a 30-4 record
and the team’s first Southeastern Conference Championship in 20 years.
