MOLINE, Ill. – The Missouri Valley Conference has entered an agreement with the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau to move the MVC Women's Basketball Tournament to the iWireless Center through at least 2018, as announced Thursday. The MVC Presidents Council, following a recommendation of the league's Joint Committee, voted to place the tournament in the Quad Cities after considering bids from multiple sites.
"It's a new opportunity to continue to improve the atmosphere and the women's basketball tournament," head women's basketball coach Barb Smith said. "We are excited, the players are excited, and it's an exciting time for the conference."
The agreement is for three years (March 10-13, 2016; March 9-12, 2017; and March 8-11, 2018), with the league holding a two-year option for 2019 and 2020.
"The Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball Tournament is one of the league's premier championships and it's fitting that we are partnering with the Quad Cities, a premier destination, and conducting the event at the iWireless Center, a first class facility," Senior Associate Commissioner Patty Viverito. "Our teams and fans are going to love all that the Quad Cities area has to offer."
Starting in 2016, the 10-team event will take place at the iWireless Center, March 10-13. The championship weekend begins with two opening-round games on Thursday. Four quarterfinal games will tip-off at noon on Friday, with the semifinals on Saturday afternoon and the championship title game on Sunday afternoon. All nine games will be available on ESPN3.
When the MVC Women's Basketball Tournament tips off in Quad Cities in 2016, it will mark the ninth consecutive season in its 34-year history that the event will take place at a neutral site. The Valley will have played its postseason championship in St. Charles, Mo. – at The Family Arena – for eight-straight seasons, culminating with the 2015 event from March 12-15. The Missouri Valley Conference is one of only eight conferences where the women's basketball championship is played at a neutral site, separate from the men's championship.
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