ODU AMONG 2006 NCAA TOURNEY HOST SITES

Old Dominion University will be among the first- and second-round sites for the 2006 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championships, the Division I Women's Basketball Committee announced Monday.

The first- and second-rounds for the 2005 and 2006 championships will be conducted at eight predetermined sites each year, which represents a format change from the previous 16 first- and second-round sites.

The following sites and their host institutions will hold games Saturday, March 19, and Monday, March 21, 2005:

- Reunion Arena (17,767)
Dallas
University of Texas at Austin and Texas Tech University

- Save Mart Center (15,621)
Fresno, Calif.
California State University--Fresno

- Williams Arena (14,625)
Minneapolis, Minn.
University of Minnesota--Twin Cities

- Bank of America Arena (9,394)
Seattle
University of Washington

The following sites will host games Sunday, March 20, and Tuesday, March 22, 2005:

- Dean E. Smith Center (21,000)
Chapel Hill, N.C.
University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill

- Comcast Center (17,950)
College Park, Md.
University of Maryland--College Park

- Thompson-Boling Arena (25,000)
Knoxville, Tenn.
University of Tennessee--Knoxville

- Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167)
Storrs, Conn.
University of Connecticut

The following sites and their host institutions will hold games either Saturday, March 18, and Monday, March 20, or Sunday, March 19, and Tuesday, March 21, 2006:

- Ted Constant Convocation Center (8,639)
Norfolk, Va.
Old Dominion University

- Allstate Arena (17,216)
Chicago
DePaul University

- Pepsi Center (19,699)
Denver
University of Colorado

- Memorial Gymnasium (14,107)
Nashville, Tenn.
Vanderbilt University

- Sovereign Bank Arena (8,500)
Trenton, N.J.
Rider University and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

- McKale Center (14,545)
Tucson, Ariz.
University of Arizona

- Bryce Jordan Center (15,261)
University Park, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania State University

- Mackey Arena (14,123)
West Lafayette, Ind.
Purdue University

The exact dates for the 2006 first- and second-round sites will be announced at a later date.

The Ted Constant Convocation Center, opened in 2002, will be hosting its third NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament after welcoming the first and second rounds in 2003 and the Mideast Regional in 2004. The Constant Center is the cornerstone in the University Village project, a 75-acre development that will also feature a shopping center, restaurants, theaters, offices, research labs and residences with high-tech connections to the campus.