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The paramount event for women’s college basketball is coming back to Indianapolis in 2028.
The Indianapolis-based NCAA announced Monday that the city will host the 2028 Division I women’s Final Four on March 31 and April 2 of that year. The games are expected to be played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The event will be returning to Indianapolis that year after an extensive hiatus. The city last hosted the event in 2016.
The 2028 games will mark the fourth time Indianapolis has hosted the event. It also hosted in 2005 and 2011. The city has also hosted eight men’s Final Fours, most recently in 2021. It will next host that event again in 2026.
Indiana Sports Corp. will manage the host committee, through a partnership with the designated host institutions, the Horizon League and IUPUI.
“Indiana Sports Corp. is thrilled that the city of Indianapolis has been awarded the opportunity to host the 2028 Women’s Final Four,” Patrick Talty, president of the Indiana Sports Corp., said in written remarks.
“We would like to thank the NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Committee for trusting us with their event and we look forward to working with them to elevate the sport of women’s basketball throughout our state and beyond.”
The selection of Indianapolis coincides with the locally-based NCAA picking several other cities for hosting duties in future years. Columbus, Ohio, was tabbed for 2027; San Antonio for 2029; Portland, Oregon for 2030; and Dallas for 2031.
It also follows extensive discussion about the future of the women’s tournament after an internal NCAA review uncovered extensive disparities between the men’s and women’s tournaments in 2021. Last week, the NCAA announced it planned to keep the women’s Final Four on the same weekend as the men’s event.
Over the past year, the organization has committed to making major shifts in its approach to the women’s tournament, including a stronger emphasis on sponsorships and media rights deals, while also incorporating March Madness branding into its marketing strategy for the women’s tournament.
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I hope we provide them with a nice weight and workout room equals to what is provided to the men so don’t have to hear complaints about that again.
Good for Indianapolis!!