NCAA women’s basketball regional coming to Sprint Center in 2018

For the second time this week, Kansas City was awarded an NCAA basketball tournament regional final.

Sprint Center will be the site of the 2018 women’s Midwest Region semifinals and championship game. The winner will advance to the Final Four.

Earlier this week, Kansas City was awarded a men’s regional final for 2017. The Big 12 will serve as the host for both events.

“Being awarded a regional round is a testament to how much the NCAA believes Kansas City is a great place to host championships games,” said Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of the Kansas City Sports Commission.

The women are returning to Sprint Center for a second time. Kansas City was the site of a 2010 regional final, when Oklahoma defeated Kentucky to reach the Final Four.

Kansas City played host to the women’s Final Four in 1998 at Kemper Arena, won by Tennessee, and was the site of regionals at Municipal Auditorium in 2000 and 2005.

A big winner in the announcement of future women’s tournament sites was Lexington, Ky., which was granted a regional final all three years with the University of Kentucky as the host.

Bridgeport, Conn., was awarded a regional site in 2016 and 2017, and the NCAA Tournament will be played at new sites, Sioux Falls, S.D., in 2016 and Stockton, Calif., in 2017.

“The committee continues to look for new markets and venues,” said Dru Hancock, chair of the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee and senior associate commissioner of the Big 12. “The committee hopes that other cities will be encouraged by this decision and we will see more involved in the next bid cycle.”

This story was originally published November 20, 2014 at 1:42 PM with the headline "NCAA women’s basketball regional coming to Sprint Center in 2018."