MOLINE, Ill — One of the earliest Quad City events cancelled by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is coming back for 2021.
The Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball Tournament is scheduled to be held at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline from March 11 to March 14.
The four-day "Hoops in the Heartland" tournament will involve all 10 MVC teams competing for entry into the NCAA Tournament.
2020's tournament was among the earliest event cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic as spring sports had their seasons abruptly disrupted by the outbreak.
“We are thrilled that the Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament will move forward this year,” says Dave Herrell, President and CEO, Visit Quad Cities. “The Conference office, their member institutions and studentathletes, and fans are incredibly important to our community. Hosting this signature event at the TaxSlayer Center with or without fans was imperative in 2021, and we are confident we can deliver a safe and responsible environment. We would like to thank the leadership at the Conference, the incredible team at the TaxSlayer Center, and the Rock Island County Health Department for their collaboration and partnership in working together to make this happen.”
Due to continuing COVID-19 restrictions, information on ticketing and spectator capacity is still being decided.
As a response to health and safety protocols, all nine games of the tournament will be treated as separate sessions, and below is the new tournament schedule:
Thursday, March 11
- Game #1 -- #9 Seed vs. #8 Seed – 4:30 p.m.
- Game #2 -- #10 Seed vs. #7 Seed – 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 12
- Game #3 – Winner Game #1 vs. #1 Seed – 11 a.m. Central
- Game #4 -- #5 Seed vs. #4 Seed – 2 p.m. Central
- Game #5 – Winner Game #2 vs. #2 Seed – 5 p.m. Central
- Game #6 -- #6 Seed vs. #3 Seed – 8 p.m. Central
Saturday, March 13
- Game #7 – Winner Game #3 vs. Winner Game #4 – 1 p.m. Central
- Game #8 – Winner Game #5 vs. Winner Game #6 – 4 p.m. Central
Sunday, March 14
- Game #9 – Winner Game #7 vs. Winner Game #8 – 2 p.m. Central
