Ohio State, Nationwide Arena Selected to Host NCAA Tournament Games in 2012 – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
COLUMBUS, Ohio-The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee notified Ohio State Monday it will host the first and second rounds of the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus.
Ohio State will serve as the host institution. The Buckeyes are not eligible to play in Columbus should they qualify for the NCAA tournament that year.
Gene Smith, associate vice president and athletics director at Ohio State, will serve as the chair of the Division I Men’s Basketball committee for the 2010-11 academic year.
“We are extremely excited to earn the NCAA First and Second Rounds for 2012,” Smith said. “It’s great for our fans to have the opportunity to see some of the nation’s best teams that will be in the tournament that year. Our event management team along with Nationwide Arena and Columbus Sports Commission did a great job putting together the bid. I know they will do a great job running the event just as we have in the past.”
The early round competitions will be played March 16 and 18 at Nationwide Arena in 2012. Eight teams will play in four games in the first round. Four teams advance to play March 18 with the winners in those two games advancing to NCAA regional competition.
Ohio State last played host to the first and second rounds in 2007. The 2012 event will mark the third time Nationwide has held NCAA early round men’s tournament games. The facility first hosted the NCAA First and Second Rounds in 2004.
Other first and second round sites in 2012 include Albuquerque, Greensboro, Louisville, Nashville, Omaha, Pittsburgh and Portland. Louisville, which will host for the 13th time, has not hosted the championship since 1991.
Atlanta will prepare for the 2013 Final Four by hosting the South Regional in 2012, marking the 20th time the city has hosted the men’s basketball championship, including Final Fours in 1977, 2002 and 2007.
Phoenix will host its fourth regional in 2012. The other two regional hosts are Boston, which has hosted the tournament three times previously, and St. Louis, which has hosted three Final Fours and seven regional rounds.
The 2012 Final Four will be played in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Ticket information for the Columbus site will be announced at a later date.
