SAN MARCOS, Texas — Texas State University, in conjunction with the NCAA, announced that the Texas State University Events Center will be one of the five venues used to host the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship, with the tournament being played in San Antonio and the surrounding region.  

"We appreciate the historical significance of moving the entire championship to one region and want to acknowledge the work by the Women's Basketball Committee and staff, our hosts, local organizers and ESPN that has allowed us to make plans for a successful 2021 championship," said Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president of women's basketball. 

"We're fortunate to be working with San Antonio, which features one of the most experienced local organizing committees in the country, and our No. 1 priority is to focus on creating and implementing safety controls in an environment for student-athletes, coaches, administrators, officials and everyone else associated with the championship."  

San Marcos will join Austin and San Antonio, Texas in bringing the first-round action of the tournament to life on March 21-22 with games being played at the Alamodome, Bill Greehey Arena on the campus of St. Mary's (Texas), Frank Erwin Center (Texas), University Events Center (Texas State) and the UTSA Convocation Center. 

"This is a great opportunity for our university," said Dr. Larry Teis, Texas State Athletics Director. "I am pleased we are able to accommodate the NCAA during this unique time. I appreciate all of the hard work our staff has done to make this happen."

"The first thing that comes to mind is that it's a great day to be a Bobcat," said Texas State women's basketball head coach Zenarae Antoine. "Having the ability to showcase our facilities, showcase our staff and all the wonderful things that this university has to offer is so amazing. Texas State, being embedded in such a beautiful area, has so much to offer everyone."

"I do believe everyone from our president down to our athletic administration has done a good job as it relates to the safety of everyone with regards to COVID-19. At the end of the day, it's a great day to be a Bobcat and I'm really excited for this opportunity."  

Second-round play will shift entirely to venues in San Antonio, with the Alamodome, Bill Greehey Arena and the UTSA Convocation Center playing host March 23-24. The championship will shift to the Alamodome for all remaining rounds, with the Sweet 16 games played March 27-28, Elite Eight games held March 29-30 and the Women's Final Four conducted April 2 and 4. 

The selection committee will announce the 64-team championship bracket at 7 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, March 15 on ESPN. Official team travel parties with a maximum of 34 individuals will arrive Tuesday, March 16 and Wednesday, March 17 in San Antonio. All teams will be housed in hotels in San Antonio and other areas of Bexar County. The hotels will be used exclusively for teams and other Tier 1 tested individuals. Practices will take place using nine courts that will be set up in the downtown Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, plus the two in the nearby Alamodome. 

Diamond Health will serve as the testing provider for the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship and will be responsible for testing within the controlled environment for players, coaching staffs, administrators and officials. The NCAA will continue to work closely with the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District on approved medical protocols shared by the NCAA and will continue collaborating leading up to and during the championship. No decision has been made on fan attendance at this time. If general public attendance is determined appropriate, the attendance policy will follow the established local guidelines. 

For the 19th consecutive year, an ESPN channel will broadcast all 63 games of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship. While specific game times and channels will be announced later for all preliminary-round games, viewers can expect games to be played in the traditional championship broadcast windows, with every game of all rounds carried in full national on ESPN networks. All games will be available online via the ESPN App. 

For more information, visit the NCAA website.