McLean County Times

The Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) has announced the future locations for its Women's Basketball Championship over the next three years. The tournament will be held at Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana, in 2025; Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, in 2026; and Vibrant Arena at The MARK in Moline, Illinois, in 2027.

In 2024, the MVC was among six conferences where the women's basketball championship took place at a neutral site separate from the men's championship. The other conferences included ACC, A-10, Big East, Pac-12, and SEC.

All twelve MVC women's basketball teams will participate in a four-day tournament each year. It will feature four opening-round games on Thursday, four quarterfinal games on Friday, two semifinal games on Saturday, and conclude with a championship game on Sunday. The tournament champion secures an automatic spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The 2025 event at Ford Center marks the 18th consecutive year that the MVC will hold a neutral-site championship for women's basketball. Previously, it was hosted at Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri (2008-2015), and Vibrant Arena at The MARK (2016-2024). Before these venues, MVC post-season championships were held at campus sites.

The schedule for upcoming tournaments is as follows: March 13-16 in 2025; March 12-15 in 2026; and March 11-14 in 2027.

Ford Center opened in November 2011 and is located in downtown Evansville. It hosts various sporting events and concerts annually and serves as home to both the University of Evansville men's basketball team and the Evansville Thunderbolts hockey team.

Xtream Arena opened its doors in September 2020 as a multi-purpose venue with a capacity of 5,100 seats. It hosts events such as University of Iowa volleyball matches and Iowa Heartlanders hockey games.

Vibrant Arena at The MARK has been hosting the MVC Women's Basketball Tournament since 2016 and has recorded some of its highest attendance figures there. Besides sports events, it also hosts concerts featuring renowned artists like Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift.

The last three MVC Women's Basketball title games have been broadcast nationally on ESPNU or ESPN2. All eleven tournament games are available on ESPN+, with last year's championship setting records for viewership metrics.