Over the next two weeks, 64 teams will aim to challenge or validate their seed positions in various cities across the U.S., leading up to the national championship finale on April 6 in Tampa, Florida.
Teams will make their way through locations such as Los Angeles, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Fort Worth, Texas, among others. While the venues for the games are confirmed, it’s interesting to consider the locations of each team.
The Athletic has laid out all the teams competing in the women’s March Madness tournament and the distances they need to travel for the first round. Distances were determined by calculating the shortest driving route from each school to the host city using Google Maps.
The top four seeds from each bracket will host games during the first and second rounds. Neutral-site matches begin in the Sweet 16 phase, held in Spokane, Washington, and Birmingham, Alabama. The final two teams will vie for the championship title in Florida.
Notably, Richmond, Oregon, and Oregon State have some of the longest trips ahead, each traveling over 2,600 miles for Round 1. However, they might find success navigating through the tournament. This is March, where surprises are the norm.
Spokane 1
The No. 8 seed, Richmond, faces the longest journey in this region, making a 2,611-mile trip to Los Angeles for their game against Georgia Tech. On the other hand, Georgia Tech isn’t far behind with a 2,178-mile trek. In contrast, No. 6 Florida State has the least arduous journey at just 441 miles to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Birmingham 2
The selection committee has not been lenient towards Oregon teams, sending both the University of Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers across the country to compete in North Carolina. The Ducks are set to embark on the longest journey in the tournament, spanning 2,863 miles to face Vanderbilt in Durham. Meanwhile, the Beavers will travel 2,854 miles to Chapel Hill for a matchup against the Tar Heels.
Birmingham 3
Michigan enjoys a relatively short trip of 179 miles to Notre Dame, Indiana, where they will take on Iowa State, marking the shortest journey for a non-host team. Conversely, Montana State must make the longest journey in this region, traveling 1,722 miles to Columbus, Ohio, to play Ohio State on their home court.
Spokane 4
No. 16 seed UNC Greensboro faces a lengthy first-round journey of 2,465 miles to Los Angeles, where they will encounter top seed USC and standout player JuJu Watkins. The No. 9 seed Mississippi State also makes the long trip, traveling 1,975 miles to join the competition in Los Angeles.
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(Photo: Ali Gradischer / Getty Images)
