Why Women’s Tournament Delays Neutral Sites—and How Hosting Helps

As evidenced by the NCAA’s latest media-rights deal, women’s March Madness is slowly working to make up for inequities with the men’s tournament.

But one major difference between the two remains in the opening rounds. While the men’s tournament annually begins in Dayton for the First Four, and then at eight neutral-site arenas across the country, the women’s event takes its own approach.

For women’s March Madness, first- and second-round games are played on the campuses of the top four seeds in each quadrant of the bracket. First Four matchups are also played at the venue where the winner will ultimately end up. 

For example, UC San Diego and Southern University will compete for a No. 16 seed Wednesday at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, where the winner will face No. 1 UCLA on Friday, and where No. 8 Richmond vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech will take place. The 1–16 and 8–9 winners will face off Sunday.

The same process will play out at the other 15 home venues of the Nos. 2, 3, and 4 seeds in each portion of the bracket.

Watch Party

While playing on campuses for the opening rounds gives the women’s tournament a much different feel than the men have at neutral sites, the results at the turnstiles have been positive in recent years.

In 2024, a record 292,456 fans attended first- and second-round games, an increase of more than 60,000 from 2023. Not surprisingly, Iowa City was the most-attended site. Sellout crowds totaled more than 28,000 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, as Caitlin Clark and Iowa beat Holy Cross and West Virginia en route to a second straight Final Four appearance.