NCAA to Play 2021 Women's Basketball Tournament in 1 Region; San Antonio Likely

The 2021 NCAA women's basketball tournament will take place in one region amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press.

The tournament will likely take place in San Antonio, which was previously scheduled to host the Final Four this season.

"San Antonio was the perfect region for us to explore because it already has an established and fully operational local organizing committee in place for the 2021 Women's Final Four," said Lynn Holzman, vice president of women's basketball at the NCAA.

Putting all 64 teams into one location allows for a "more controlled environment," as NCAA women's basketball committee chair Nina King explained.

Albany, New York; Austin, Texas; Cincinnati; and Spokane, Washington were all expected to host regional finals until the latest changes.

This decision comes after the NCAA announced in November the men's basketball tournament would be played within one geographic area. The men's Final Four was set for Indianapolis, and the NCAA remains in talks with the state of Indiana to host the entire tournament.

These changes help provide some stability amid the uncertainty with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both the men's and women's tournaments were canceled last March, while the start of the 2020-21 season has been affected by postponements and cancellations as well.

On the women's side, No. 2 Louisville was forced to pause activities Friday because of a positive test within the program, while No. 1 Stanford and No. 3 Connecticut each had games canceled.