NCAA Men's and Women's Final Fours Will Continue to Be Held in Separate Locations

The NCAA announced Friday it will continue to hold the Final Four for the men's and women's Division I basketball tournaments in separate locations.

Committees for both sports explored the possibility of hosting the events in the same city beginning in 2027 amid concerns the women's tournament doesn't receive the same level of attention from the governing body as the men's, but the idea was unanimously voted down, per The Athletic.

The idea was born from a review of the NCAA's gender equity by the Kaplan Hecker & Fink law firm, which determined the "challenges that the NCAA faces are significant and cut across the organization."

Among the recommendations was: "Conduct an assessment and develop a plan for combining or co-locating men's and women's championships where appropriate."

That probe was launched after several players and coaches in the 2021 women's NCAA tournament showcased the vast differences between the amenities available between their event and the one for the men, ranging from the weight rooms to the food offerings.

NCAA President Mark Emmert apologized for how the situation was handled last March.

"I and everybody in the NCAA have been so disappointed in the shortcomings that have been starkly abundant and recognized here in San Antonio," Emmert told reporters. "I am sorry for that. That is something that we should have never allowed to happen.”

Nina King, the chair of the NCAA women's basketball committee, released a statement Friday about the decision to keep the Final Fours separate, per The Athletic.

"Before additional modifications are made to the tournament's format and structure, it is important to us to see, for example, the effect an expanded bracket, the use of March Madness branding, and increased support from corporate partners can have on growing the women's game and the women's basketball championship," King said.

The women's tournament will feature 68 teams for the first time in 2022, creating four play-in games that have been featured in the men's event since 2011.

This year's women's Final Four will take place at the Target Center in Minneapolis, while the men's championship will be handed out at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.