The Ohio State University's St. John Arena will host the first- and second-round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in 2011, the NCAA announced on Oct. 29.

The Ohio State University and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission partnered on the Columbus bid. The games will be played at St. John Arena in March 2011, and will be the second time in three years that Columbus has hosted the tournament's opening round. First- and second-rounds were also held at Nationwide Arena in March.

Other cities chosen to host first- and second-round games in 2011 include Albuquerque, N.M.; Auburn, Alabama; Charlottesville, Va.; Cincinnati; College Park, Md.; Durham, N.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Spokane, Wash.; Shreveport, La.; Stanford, Ca.; Storrs, Conn.; University Park, Pa.; Waco, Texas; and Wichita, Kansas. The four selected regional sites are Dayton; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Dallas; and Spokane, Wash.

"The committee was pleased with the level of interest in our championship that we found from cities, institutions and conferences across the country," said Jane Meyer, senior associate director of athletics at the University of Iowa and chair of the Division I Women's Basketball Committee. "Of the 20 preliminary sites for 2011, we have 11 different conferences represented, with Wichita and Shreveport hosting for the first time."

The 2011 first- and second-round sites will host games either Saturday, March 19, and Monday, March 21 or Sunday, March 20 and Tuesday, March 22, with those dates to be determined in June 2010.

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