Eight cities that have hosted the NCAA Men’s Final Four during its history were selected to host preliminary rounds of the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship’s 75th Anniversary in 2013.

In all, the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee on Monday announced 36 cities that will host preliminary rounds over the three-year period from 2011-13. Among them were three future Final Four host cities that were designated to host a regional round a year before to assist in Final Four operations planning.

“Having recently completed the Final Four site selection process, the committee knew this would be a challenge,” said Dan Guerrero, director of athletics at UCLA and chair of the committee. “We received some 70 bids, and each city could justifiably provide a quality championship experience for the student-athletes. Interest remains incredibly high in hosting the championship.”

2011

Most of the cities for the 2011 championship have served as hosts during this decade. An exception is first-/second-round host Tulsa, which opened the BOK Center in 2008 but has not hosted since 1985. Charlotte ranks third among cities with the most tournament games in history, having served as host 20 times since 1958. The other first- and second-round host cities (each multiple-time hosts) include Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Tampa, Tucson and Washington, D.C.

Regional sites for 2011 are Anaheim, which will host for the fifth time since 1998; San Antonio, which has hosted seven times in the past 13 years; Newark, which will host for the first time; and New Orleans, which has hosted 10 times previously.

The 2011 Final Four will be played in Reliant Stadium in Houston.

2012

First- and second-round sites in 2012 include Albuquerque, Columbus, Greensboro, Louisville, Nashville, Omaha, Pittsburgh and Portland.

Louisville will host for the 13th time and the first time since 1991.

Atlanta will prepare for the 2013 Final Four by hosting the South Regional in 2012, marking the 20th time the city has hosted the men’s basketball championship, including Final Fours in 1977, 2002 and 2007. Phoenix will host its fourth regional in 2012. The other two regional hosts are Boston, which has hosted the tournament three times previously, and St. Louis, which has hosted three Final Fours and seven regional rounds.

The 2012 Final Four will be played in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

2013

Since 2013 is the 75th anniversary of the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, the committee selected cities where many great tournament moments have occurred.

They include Kansas City, site of North Carolina’s triple-overtime win in the 1957 championship game; Lexington, Kentucky, which hosted Villanova’s upset of Georgetown in the 1985 title match-up; and Philadelphia, the site of the Duke-Kentucky classic in the 1992 East Regional final.

Auburn Hills, Austin, Dayton, Kansas City, Lexington, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and San Jose were selected to host first and second rounds.  Indianapolis, Los Angeles and North Texas were chosen for the regional rounds, with one site to be named later.

Auburn Hills and San Jose both earned bids for the fourth time since 1997, while Austin was selected for the sixth time since 1981.

Los Angeles has hosted the championship 11 times, including two Final Fours, but has not served as a host city since 1994. North Texas will prepare for the 2014 Final Four with a regional at Cowboys Stadium.

Kansas City has served as host to 28 tournaments, including 10 Final Fours. With Indianapolis, Lexington, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and Final Four host Atlanta having each also staged more than 75 tournament games, the 2013 championship will feature seven of the top nine cities for most tournament games hosted of all time.

Dayton, which has hosted the opening-round game since its inception in 2001 and will do so through 2013, has hosted 23 times in the tournament’s history.

The 2013 Final Four will be played in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

“It’s no accident that cities which have been part of the rich history of this championship were selected to return in 2013,” Guerrero said. “The 2013 championship will be a nationwide celebration of March Madness, its tremendous history and the fan following of one the world’s best sporting events.”