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Fewer teams, lessons learned in Spokane

Spokane, Washington, a frequent March Madness host, is hosting women's tournament games at Spokane Arena, with UCLA as the top overall seed and Lauren Betts, their 6-foot-7 All-America center, among the eight teams participating.
Spokane, a mid-sized city about 100 miles south of the Canadian border, has hosted the men's tournament six times since 2003 and the women's tournament seven times overall, with four times at the arena, contributing to its nickname, Hooptown.
Last year, the area faced unwanted attention when players for Utah's women's team were subjected to racist language shouted by the driver of a pickup truck displaying a Confederate flag while walking to a team dinner in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
Following a two-month investigation by Idaho authorities, an 18-year-old man admitted to using the racial slur, though the Coeur d'Alene city attorney declined to bring hate crime charges, prompting Lynne Roberts, then-Utah women's coach, to say, "We had several instances of some kind of racial hate crimes toward our program and incredibly upsetting for all of us."
Ashley Blake, the chief executive officer of Spokane Sports, emphasized the city's commitment to ensuring athletes feel supported, respected, and safe, launching the "Spokane Champions Women in Sports" campaign and highlighting the importance of sports tourism for Spokane, with the city set to host men's games in 2027 and USA Wrestling's women's nationals following the current tournament.

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