Seattle "Regionals" - Where do the teams assigned to those regions come from?

[ochoopsfan]

Seattle has a passionate WBB fan base because of what Breanna, Sue and the Storm have accomplished there. In addition, as Geno has stated many times, UConn WBB on the road is, “like the circus coming to town.” I expect very good attendance in Seattle, including a large contingent of loud, passionate UConn WBB fans.

Dont forget Kelsey Plum's 4 years at UW.

Before they remodelled Key Arena, now Climate Pledge, they had a good size crowd of "locals", for the Pac12 tournie, at the arena, for all 4 days.

 

[HuskyNan]

But it's ok for SC to play in Greenville and Stanford to play on the west coast in Seattle? And it's ok to send Ct, VA Tech, Fla St, Duke and UNC . around 3000 mi away?
That all makes as much sense as the Selection Committee rep did when trying to explain some of the seeding decisions.

The sites were pre determined before the season

Now you know how UConn’s opponents felt all those years that Bridgeport, Albany, and Hartford hosted Regionals

 

[Blue Huskie]

Regions don't mean a great deal anymore unfortunately and attendance suffers. If they totally abandon regions they might as well go the Olympic route and call them Group "A" Group "B" etc...

 

[HuskyNan]

And you don't think that there are multiple cities in "Fly-over -country" such as Chicago, Indy, St Louis, Wichita among many others with excellent facilities that would try to host, if given a chance?

No one is excluded from the bidding process. Why do you assume they are?

The Women’s tournament loses money. Why would a site not near a university that could be in contention bid to host?

 

[Bills Fan]

Dont forget Kelsey Plum's 4 years at UW.

Before they remodelled Key Arena, now Climate Pledge, they had a good size crowd of "locals", for the Pac12 tournie, at the arena, for all 4 days.

It's been decided by the Selection Committee that UW and Plum will not play there this year, so those attendance figures are irrelevant.

 

[HuskyNan]

It's been decided by the Selection Committee that UW and Plum will not play there this year, so those attendance figures are irrelevant.

Kelsey Plum graduated in 2017

 

[Bills Fan]

The two 2024 Regional sites are Portland, Oregon and Albany, NY (UConn Northwest).

Again, coastal (yes NY has a coast) locations where 1000s of miles travel will be required for many schools. ANd how can the Committee plce a Region in Albany when that is one of the locations that Nan said was so unfair due to its proximity to CT. Of course, if we make the Tournament next year (LOL), the Selection Committee will probably fix that issue by sending the Huskies to Portland !

 

[Bills Fan]

No one is excluded from the bidding process. Why do you assume they are?

The Women’s tournament loses money. Why would a site not near a university that could be in contention bid to host?

So Seattle has a close university that could have been in contention? Portland next year when no local school made it this year?

Yes Chicago, Indy, St. Louis and Wichita (and those are just a few examples of more centralized cities with necessary facilities) have major universities within reasonably close commuting distances.

To pick up on Geno's comments this morning, place a Regional in the PAC time zone, one in the eastern and one in the southern portions of the country and one in a more central city. Why would that approach be less reasonable than what we have this year and next year, and I don't even know if 2024 has already been decided.

While you say that the Women's tournament is a money loser, that might well be true for the NCAA organization, but I can assure you that the hospitality industry (hotels, restaurants, attractions. local travel and unions, just to name a few) are hungry (no pun in tended) to host even much smaller events. Ask sports commissions and local regional leaders about this and you will get overwhelmingly positive answers. If you don't think that is true then ask yourself why cities have been bidding on all of these events over the last XXX number of years.

 

[YKCornelius]

The economics behind dual-site regionals will certainly be tested this year. The cities/schools that won the opportunity to host are counting on fans coming to the games, and filling up hotels, restaurants, bars, etc. Attendance and ticket sales are simply indicators of the revenue streams expected outside the arenas. As of last week, advanced ticket sales were slow, with many seats in both arenas unsold. Likewise for the re-sale ticket market, where "investors" who bought advanced tickets (mostly lower level) are now expecting those fan bases, many who frugally waited to see where their teams landed, to come forward and pay re-sale asking prices far above original face value.

The pink elephant in the room is the question: are there enough fans at the Top 16 schools (i.e., favored to go to the Sweet Sixteen) who are willing to make the trek to the Region sites? We shall see.

 

[Bald Husky]

Because UConn was the team to watch the last 20 years, they have fans all around the country. As long as there isn't a local team in the region, UConn fans will probably be more abundant than any other. USC (Southern Cal), is the only west coast team in our bracket, while the other Seattle region has Stanford and Gonzaga, with some possible fans from Colorado. We will be well represented by our national fans.

 

[meyers7]

Oops. For some reason I thought Nike originated in Seattle but obviously it was not. Doh!!!!!!

Beaverton (Portland), only a couple hours (3) away.

 

[Notyetready]

As they wanted a place in the PST for tv, why not Los Angeles? For the teams' fans it would have been easier to get direct flights than to Seattle. More options for hotel rooms, too.

Los Angeles is a nightmare for travel, in Seattle the arena is downtown and you can take the monorail to Climate Pledge arena.

 

[npignatjr]

They’re going to pre-determined neutral sites to make it more fair. Teams complained, with some justification, that sending, say, #1 seed Virginia Tech to Bridgeport gave UConn an advantage

The sites are always bid on. So South Carolina going to South Carolina is fair?

 

[npignatjr]

Oh, I thought Nike was the highest bidder and now we are in Seattle...or was it Starbucks.

The Uhyger's choice

 

[oldude]

The sites are always bid on. So South Carolina going to South Carolina is fair?

Just as fair as UConn going to Albany or Bridgeport. SC earned that right by going undefeated while securing a #1 seed. Had the Gamecocks stumbled this year, they wouldn’t necessarily be in SC. In 2018, when SC labored through a 26-7 season, they ended up in Albany, where the undefeated Huskies laid a 94-65 beat down on them in the Elite 8 game.

 

[npignatjr]

Just as fair as UConn going to Albany or Bridgeport. SC earned that right by going undefeated while securing a #1 seed. Had the Gamecocks stumbled this year, they wouldn’t necessarily be in SC.

Sorry not likely. A major difference between the men's tournament and selection committee and the women's the men's is broadcast by CBS no financial stake in conference channels, the women's ABC/ESPN owners of the SEC and ACC channels.

 

[oldude]

Sorry not likely. A major difference between the men's tournament and selection committee and the women's the men's is broadcast by CBS no financial stake in conference channels, the women's ABC/ESPN owners of the SEC and ACC channels.

So what happened in 2018, one year after winning their first national championship? In A’ja Wilson’s senior year the Gamecocks were shipped up to Albany to face a beat down by the undefeated Huskies, when they would have drawn so many more fans to the Lexington regional.

 

[npignatjr]

So what happened in 2018, one year after winning their first national championship? In A’ja Wilson’s senior year the Gamecocks were shipped up to Albany to face a beat down by the undefeated Huskies, when they would have drawn so many more fans to the Lexington regional.

They weren't A number 1 seed

 

[npignatjr]

Just as fair as UConn going to Albany or Bridgeport. SC earned that right by going undefeated while securing a #1 seed. Had the Gamecocks stumbled this year, they wouldn’t necessarily be in SC. In 2018, when SC labored through a 26-7 season, they ended up in Albany, where the undefeated Huskies laid a 94-65 beat down on them in the Elite 8 game.

Are the sites bid on and awarded after the season or years in advance? Rhetorical. Didn't the defending NC Champions undefeated number 1 seed get shipped out to Nebraska in 2014? Yes. 2020 the east regional was supposed to be in Indiana, Indiana in the east?

 

[OldSchooler]

Once upon a time, the Regional tournament sites were truly regional. They were even called the East, South, Midwest and Far West Regionals, and the teams at each were drawn from that geographical region of the country. Nowadays, with more national attention focused on the sport, the teams are seeded 1-68, and dispersed accordingly, notwithstanding the distance they might have to travel.

BTW, my two cents says the reduction to two regional tournament sites sucks. Surely there are 4 venues around the country that would draw fans thirsting for a weekend of championship basketball competition. The NCAA seems to be more focused on getting more bang for the buck from the nationwide TV production than the local fan exposure.

On a matter unrelated to this thread (sorry, Nan), how about staging Aaliyah's homecoming game next year in Whitehorse. It would be UConn's first visit to the Y-u-k-o-n. Can't you just see it -- Nika and Paige driving dogsleds full of 2-legged Huskies, drawn by the 4-legged variety. (Just kidding.)

 

[oldude]

They weren't A number 1 seed

That’s exactly the point. In order to insure some “home cooking” in the most advantageous region, a team has to be a #1 or #2 seed, something that SC has earned this year, and something that UConn has been able to do every single year that the East Regional was in Bridgeport or Albany.

 

[oldude]

Are the sites bid on and awarded after the season or years in advance? Rhetorical. Didn't the defending NC Champions undefeated number 1 seed get shipped out to Nebraska in 2014? Yes. 2020 the east regional was supposed to be in Indiana, Indiana in the east?

Years in advance as follows:

• 2024 - Albany & Portland
• 2025 - Birmingham & Spokane
• 2026 - Ft Worth & Sacramento

In 2014, the regionals were in South Bend, IN, Louisville, KY, Palo Alto, Ca & Lincoln NE. The #1 seeds in each of those regions were ND, Louisville, Stanford & UConn respectively. That was back when the NCAA let universities host the regionals. Just where exactly was the committee going to send the Huskies if not to Lincoln?

 

[Cornell Lt]

A quick survey:

Seattle 3. The top 8 seeds - the ones most likely to compete for a place in the "regional":
Virginia Tech, UConn, Ohio State, Tennesee, Iowa State, North Carolina, Baylor, USC
Seattle 4. The top 8 seeds - the ones most likely to compete for a place in the "regional":
Stanford, Iowa, Duke, Texas, Louisville, Colorado, Florida State, Ole Miss
(bold = > 1000 miles to travel) (underline = > 1500 miles to travel)(Stanford > 800 miles)

So what's the logic? Something special about Seattle? What money is behind this? Sure, there will be ardent fans who make the trip. But those of more modest means won't have the option (Tough decision when your team might lose the first game). What are the politics here?

Gotta say Bridgeport and Albany were a lot of fun.

It's the NCAA, there is no logic. !!!! So you bring in 16 teams that are mostly east of the Mississippi to a venue in Seattle, Washington. Now I've never been to Seattle but I would imagine it used to be a great city. Not soo much any more. It will be real interesting to see what the attendance #'s are.

 

[npignatjr]

Years in advance as follows:

• 2024 - Albany & Portland
• 2025 - Birmingham & Spokane
• 2026 - Ft Worth & Sacramento

In 2014, the regionals were in South Bend, IN, Louisville, KY, Palo Alto, Ca & Lincoln NE. The #1 seeds in each of those regions were ND, Louisville, Stanford & UConn respectively. That was back when the NCAA let universities host the regionals. Just where exactly was the committee going to send the Huskies if not to Lincoln?

How about the 1 seed goes to the closest? Again Indiana is not and has never been in the East. Regionals used to be, East South Midwest West.

 

[npignatjr]

Years in advance as follows:

• 2024 - Albany & Portland
• 2025 - Birmingham & Spokane
• 2026 - Ft Worth & Sacramento

In 2014, the regionals were in South Bend, IN, Louisville, KY, Palo Alto, Ca & Lincoln NE. The #1 seeds in each of those regions were ND, Louisville, Stanford & UConn respectively. That was back when the NCAA let universities host the regionals. Just where exactly was the committee going to send the Huskies if not to Lincoln?

When was that, 2014 experiment. Not first 2 rounds the regional finals?