Wendell Barnhouse is a nationally-known and respected columnist who has spent over 20 years covering collegiate athletics. He has reported from 24 Final Fours and more than three dozen bowl games and has written about the Big 12 and its schools since the conference's beginning. Barnhouse will be updating the Big 12 Insider on happenings and behind-the-scenes information about the conference.
Mike Bobinski, the athletic director at Xavier who recently was named to the same position at Georgia Tech, is the chair of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee. During a teleconference with reporters Wednesday, he was asked about this year's South Regional that will be hosted by the Big 12 and held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It will also be the site for the 2014 Final Four.
"We feel like Cowboy Stadium will be a tremendous regional host and an equally tremendous Final Four host in 2014. The Big 12 has hosted a multiple number of events for this championship over the years. It is the same folks that have done it many, many times.
"We really will use this regional as a dress rehearsal, a dry run for next year's Final Four. The seating configuration will be as it will be for the Final Four, the lighting, the sound. We'll really give it a chance to shake down that building from a basketball perspective and from an NCAA Championship basketball perspective, and think it will be a really positive event.
"We're ready for it. We're excited about it. I think the chance for teams to play in what is one of the iconic facilities in the country at this point in time will be a unique experience for them. So we're looking forward to it and excited about being there. "
