Women’s College Basketball Tournament Coming to Billings

Billings has been selected by the National Association of Interscholastic Athletics to host the 2017 and 2018 Women’s Division 1 Collegiate National Basketball Championships at Rimrock Auto Arena.  Multiple sources have confirmed that officials from the NAIA, along with local officials from Rocky Mountain College, MetraPark and Visit Billings will formally announce the decision during a 1 p.m. press conference on Wednesday at Rimrock.

 
While Rocky athletic director Bruce Parker would neither confirm or deny the decision, the Battlin’ Bears receive an automatic bid to the national tournament for being the host team.  They last played in the tourney in 1988.  The 32-team tournament is scheduled for March 15th through the 21st.  There will be 31 games played in six days.  Billings originally bid for the tournament in 2014 but it was awarded to Independence, Mo.  Billings got another opportunity to bid when Independence declined to pick up the option to host again.