The excitement is palpable as Phoenix gears up to host a premier basketball event. With the downtown area adorned in vibrant colors and desert motifs, the stage is set for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four at the Mortgage Matchup Center.
The championship weekend has been meticulously planned over the past 18 months, involving a coordinated effort of hundreds, according to Amy Reis, NCAA women’s basketball director. This monumental event will see semifinal matchups on Friday, with UConn taking on either South Carolina or TCU, while UCLA will face either Texas or Michigan. The winners will clash in the final on Sunday.
Despite Phoenix hosting the Men’s Final Four previously, this marks the first time the Women’s Final Four will be held in Arizona. The event’s westernmost location since 1999 presents unique logistical challenges, such as the production and transport of the court.
Connor Sports, known for crafting courts for NCAA championships, plays a critical role. Their zero-waste operation, based in Michigan, meticulously creates 4-by-7-foot panels from locally sourced wood, which are then hand-painted and transported to the event location. Zach Riberdy, marketing director at Connor Sports, emphasizes the extensive preparation involved, which includes careful coordination with forestry services.
The complex task of shipping and assembling the court involves 262 panels weighing a total of 42,500 pounds. After initial preparation in San Marcos, Texas, the court arrives at Phoenix’s Mortgage Matchup Center ready for assembly, facilitated by the arena’s basketball-friendly infrastructure.
“We’re fortunate that this event is (at Mortgage Matchup Center) because the building is built for basketball,” Riberdy noted, contrasting it with the challenges faced at non-basketball venues like State Farm Stadium, which hosted the 2024 Men’s Final Four.
Beyond the games, the NCAA aims to create a memorable experience with fan festivals, live viewing parties, and concerts across Phoenix. “People think of the Final Four and just think about the games,” Reis remarked. “If you don’t have tickets, there are so many other events happening.”
With extensive operations comparable to those of major sporting events like the College Football Playoff and the Super Bowl, the Women’s Final Four promises to be a grand spectacle. Reis sees this as an opportunity to showcase Phoenix as a destination capable of hosting world-class events.
“Here, you’ve got a city that’s also a destination location,” she said. “You have a world-class venue here at Mortgage Matchup Center. And so for us, it’s a very special opportunity to make this weekend an event – a spectacle for the players, the student-athletes, the media, the fans and everyone else involved.”
This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
