Nashville, OVC announced as hosts for 2012 NCAA First/Second Rounds

NASHVILLE – The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) informed representatives from the Ohio Valley Conference and Nashville Sports Council on Monday that the City of Nashville has been awarded the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship First and Second Rounds.

The event will take place on March 16 and 18 and will be held at the Sommet Center in downtown Nashville with the Ohio Valley Conference serving as the host.

This marks the fourth time since 2000 that the event will be held in the City of Nashville and at the Sommet Center (2000, 2003 and 2005). Each of the three previous events were sell outs.

Overall it is the eighth time the tournament has been in Nashville as the first and second rounds have also been held in the city in 1982, 1989 and 1993 as were the 1973 Regional Semifinals/Finals.

“Having been a member of this community for more than three decades, the Ohio Valley Conference is pleased to be able to bring marquee events that show off the best of intercollegiate athletics to the City of Nashville,” said Beth DeBauche, Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner. “We are proud to be able to showcase not only the OVC, but the Sommet Center and the City of Nashville to all the fans who will visit our city during the event.”

“We are excited to have March Madness back in Music City for the fourth time since 2000. This is a great event from both an economical and media exposure standpoint for our community,” said Scott Ramsey, President and CEO of the Nashville Sports Council.

The partnership between the OVC, Nashville Sports Council and the Sommet Center will also bring the 2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four to Nashville.

In all the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee selected 36 cities over a three-year period (2011-13) to serve as hosts for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.

“Having recently completed the Final Four site selection process, the committee knew this would be a challenge,” said Dan Guerrero, director of athletics at UCLA and current basketball committee chair. “We received some 70 bids and each city could, justifiably, provide a quality championship experience for the student-athletes. Interest remains incredibly high in hosting the championship.”

Other cities selected for first/second rounds games in 2012 include Albuquerque, N.M., Louisville, Ky., Pittsburgh, Pa., Portland, Ore., Columbus, Ohio, Greensboro, N.C. and Omaha, Neb. The regional sites for 2012 are Boston, Mass., Phoenix, Ariz., Atlanta, Ga. and St. Louis, Mo. The 2012 Men’s Final Four will be played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, La.


The Ohio Valley Conference, which is the nation's eighth oldest Division I athletic conference, is in its 61st year of competition in 2008-09. The OVC is comprised of 11 schools that represent five states. Member institutions include Austin Peay State University, Eastern Illinois University, Eastern Kentucky University, Jacksonville State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Southeast Missouri

State University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Tennessee State University, Tennessee Technological University and the University of Tennessee at Martin. For more information call 615.371.1698 or visit OVCSports.com.

The Nashville Sports Council is a private, non-profit, membership-based organization of area corporations and individual sports enthusiasts. Created in 1992, the Nashville Sports Council’s mission is to positively impact the economy and quality of life of the Greater Nashville Area by attracting and promoting professional and amateur sporting events. The Nashville Sports Council has hosted more than 130 events that have produced over $366 million in direct economic impact and is The Driving Force of Sports in Nashville. For more information, call 615.743.3120 or visit NashvilleSports.com.