UD to host first 4 NCAA tourney games

Indianapolis - As it has for the past decade, the Road to the Final Four will begin at the University of Dayton Arena this year. That was made official Thursday when the NCAA announced that Dayton will be the site of the inaugural First Four games of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 15 and 16.

UD Arena will host the four first-round games at UD Arena over two nights in the NCAA’s new 68-team format, which was announced in July. Two games will feature four teams battling for two of the tournament’s No. 16 seeds, while the other two games will pit the last four at-large teams selected to the field. Pairings will be announced with the rest of the bracket on the evening of Selection Sunday, March 13. This will mark the first time that the NCAA will reveal publicly the last teams selected to the tournament field.

When the tournament last expanded to 65 teams in 2001, UD was named the site of the NCAA’s Opening Round. The Opening Round games were played in Dayton from 2001 to 2010.

“We’re thrilled the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee and staff have entrusted us with the inaugural First Four,” UD Vice-President and Director of Athletics Tim Wabler said. “Just as when the Opening Round came to Dayton in 2001, we have the event this year, and will be highly considered for future years. We have the chance, as we did with the Opening Round, to make it our own by exceeding expectations and giving the participating teams’ student-athletes and fans the best experience possible.

“This is an opportunity for our community to prove itself once again with a brand new event.”

The University of Dayton Arena has hosted NCAA tournament events in 24 of the 41 years since opening its doors for the 1969-70 season. The NCAA First Four games will make UD Arena the most-used tournament venue in NCAA history. To date, UD Arena has hosted 83 NCAA men's tournament games, tying it with Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium.

“We explored different options, including playing the first-round games at multiple sites or on one date, but we came to the conclusion that Dayton was best served to host all four games in 2011," Gene Smith, the director of athletics at The Ohio State University and chair of the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee said.

As part of the NCAA’s television agreement reached with Turner and CBS in April, all four games will be nationally televised in primetime on Turner Broadcasting’s truTV, with each night featuring one game involving teams seeded 65-68 on the overall seed list and another involving at-large teams.

All tickets for the NCAA First Four games will go on sale Oct. 1 at www.ncaa.com/mbbtickets. Only all-session ticket packages will be on sale on Oct. 1.

NCAA First Four Ticket ordering will not be handled through the University of Dayton Arena Ticket Office. UD season ticketholders will have priority purchasing capability and information will be sent to them before Oct. 1 on to how to order their tickets. All-session ticket prices are $100 and $80.

The First Four is one of three NCAA tournament events at the University of Dayton Arena this year. UD is hosting a Women’s Volleyball Regional Dec. 10-11, the First Four March 15-16, and a Women’s Basketball Regional March 26-28.