Seedings UConn Bridgeport or Spokane?

[Plebe]

So obviously other teams are slipping as their win-loss record deteriorates. If that happens enough, they can slip behind us in seedings. I assume you know seeding will change. The question is, how much is enough for UConn to move up to get a stronger resume and higher seed?

Teams don't "slip" just because of a loss. Only if it's a bad loss, e.g., losing to Auburn and Florida. But Indiana's and Arizona's bodies of work are not diminished in the least by their losses to Michigan and Stanford.

If UConn can't beat Tennessee, we'd need multiple other teams to quasi-implode with multiple bad losses in order to rise significantly from #11. Because even with a bad loss or two on their resumes, these teams have far more quality wins than UConn does. If the committee redid their ranking today, I'm sure Tennessee would be lower than #4, but I'm also sure they'd still be higher than UConn.

 

[Vowelguy]

Man oh man. The NCAA is a business. They are not going to move their largest income provider out of their region. Stanford will be in Spokane with Oregon.

No Stanford and Oregon will not both be in Spokane. By rule that cant happen (unless the PAC has five teams seeded in the top 16, which it wont.)

 

[Tonyc]

The NCAA looks at teams getting better and teams getting worse later in the season. NUMBER 1 is bringing in money during the tourney.

 

[eebmg]

So when is the next reveal?

 

[Vowelguy]

NUMBER 1 is bringing in money during the tourney.

NO NO NO
Provide a SINGLE piece of evidence that supports this claim.
You cant.

 

[TeamFirst!]

It would seem that TV rights is where the most money is, even in a women's tournament. Matchups during ideal viewing times. For women's basketball that is probably afternoon games on the weekend probably but I'm just guessing. Creating tv "events" is probably as important as venues. I sense that this year we will be TV cannon fodder. We are a media opportunity for good viewership in a final 8 game, to help promote the final 4. The most likely to me is us vs Stanford in a final 8 or something like that. If we win that's fine but it is not in our interest to go to the west coast to play. Time changes wreck havoc with people's biorythyms. One thing in our favor is that the NCAA probably does want our TV market as long as possible.

 

[Plebe]

Honestly, I find it a bit cringey and unbecoming that people seem to be hoping for / banking on the NCAA's venality just so UConn can play closer to home in the middle weekend. It must say a lot about how far the team has fallen if so many people feel our fate hinges on favorable geographical placement.

So when is the next reveal?

"Thursday’s reveal was the first of three being provided this season by the committee. There will be two additional top 16 reveals this season: during halftime of the South Carolina vs. Kentucky game Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN, and when Baylor takes on Iowa State on Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN2."

First top 16 early reveal announced in DI women’s basketball

The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee has tabbed South Carolina, Stanford, NC State and Tennessee as the No. 1 seeds in the first top 16 early reveal.

www.ncaa.com

 

[Vowelguy]

Honestly, I find it a bit cringey and unbecoming that people seem to be hoping for / banking on the NCAA's venality just so UConn can play closer to home in the middle weekend. It must say a lot about how far the team has fallen if so many people feel our fate hinges on favorable geographical placement.

This.

Also pretty funny that many criticized Muffett (as I did) when her statements came out. Turns out many of you agree with her -- that UConn does/should get favorable treatment.

 

[Tonyc]

You & everyone else have a point about the money, but if the committee thinks that UConn will be eliminated rather quickly then the money won't be as much of an incentive to keep UConn at home.
There's a lot of good teams that appear to be able to bring UConn down, and their fans will also pay to watch them try to do it.
The Tennessee game may be a key indicator, as well as any upcoming games against DePaul.
Right now all we can count on is getting a berth.

If UConn is eliminated quickly it doesnt matter. The regional tickets will be sold out when the NCAA Committee announces that UConn will be in the Bridgeport Regional. As far as alot of good teams that could bring UConn down I have to disagree with that too. If Paige isnt back there a few teams that may be able to take down UConn. If Paige is back there May be not one team who could take UConn down.

 

[Cornell Lt]

It would seem that TV rights is where the most money is, even in a women's tournament. Matchups during ideal viewing times. For women's basketball that is probably afternoon games on the weekend probably but I'm just guessing. Creating tv "events" is probably as important as venues. I sense that this year we will be TV cannon fodder. We are a media opportunity for good viewership in a final 8 game, to help promote the final 4. The most likely to me is us vs Stanford in a final 8 or something like that. If we win that's fine but it is not in our interest to go to the west coast to play. Time changes wreck havoc with people's biorythyms. One thing in our favor is that the NCAA probably does want our TV market as long as possible.

ESPN holds all the rights to all NCAA tournament games. The TV rights have nothing to do with matchups. There might be some wiggle room on ESPN's part to put certain teams in prime time" slots,

 

[TeamFirst!]

The ESPN pays the NCAA for the rights. Trust me. They care about ratings. I used to schedule programs for an ABC affiliate as well as all advertising. 10 years in the industry in broadcast operations. They absolutely care about the ratings.

 

[Monte]

It bothers me to see that some "fans" are critical of others who want to see UCONN play in Bridgeport. The team has not "fallen" that much; they were hit with unprecedented injuries!
Obviously, the people who think this way, do not have tickets to the Bridgeport Regional.

 

[sun]

If UConn is eliminated quickly it doesnt matter. The regional tickets will be sold out when the NCAA Committee announces that UConn will be in the Bridgeport Regional. As far as alot of good teams that could bring UConn down I have to disagree with that too. If Paige isnt back there a few teams that may be able to take down UConn. If Paige is back there May be not one team who could take UConn down.

At some point folks need to trust the process.
There's no way to predict whether UConn's chances are better or worse by being sent west.

Stanford is almost a 15 hour drive away from their campus, and since Washington state has a Huskies team of their own, maybe their residents will support our Huskies too.
If other high seeds such as Louisville or Tennessee are rewarded for beating UConn during the regular season by being seeded in Bridgeport, then that's how the process works.
The NCAA wants to create a balance of good teams in every region and needs to do it fairly.
And it's not as if Stanford playing UConn would be a rematch like some of the other Bridgeport seeds might present.

 

[Vowelguy]

It bothers me to see that some "fans" are critical of others who want to see UCONN play in Bridgeport. .

No one I’ve seen is critical of the desire to play in Bridgeport.
They’re critical of feeling entitled to be in Bridgeport.

 

[Alydar]

It would seem that TV rights is where the most money is, even in a women's tournament. Matchups during ideal viewing times. For women's basketball that is probably afternoon games on the weekend probably but I'm just guessing. Creating tv "events" is probably as important as venues. I sense that this year we will be TV cannon fodder. We are a media opportunity for good viewership in a final 8 game, to help promote the final 4. The most likely to me is us vs Stanford in a final 8 or something like that. If we win that's fine but it is not in our interest to go to the west coast to play. Time changes wreck havoc with people's biorythyms. One thing in our favor is that the NCAA probably does want our TV market as long as possible.

Two problems with arranging popular matchups:

a) the committee has no history of doing that, in fact when given the opportunity several times to put UConn and Tenn in the same region they didn't do it.

b) The desire to maximize the entertainment factor is much more serious. I suspect that the NCAA briefs officials and I would expect they give them what the NCAA calls "points of emphasis" for each game. I'd love to hear from actual past officials about that. Once you start tweeking rules for profit it's not a big jump to orchestrating a final score. Look at all the pre-arranged reality shows? Does anyone thing that the media executives wouldn't love to know who will win the NCAA championship in November? And it's that advertising revenue that is paying for everything.

We had a good example last year after the Baylor loss to UConn. ESPN's entire team grabbed pitch forks and torches and joined in on lynching the officials for not making a foul call in a very physical game that was littered with uncalled fouls. Go down that road and soon it will look like the NFL does today, with no consistency at all in enforcing rules like holding and pass interference. There is a stink in the NFL over how penalty flags, thrown or not thrown at pivotal moments are deciding games.

 

[CL82]

NO NO NO
Provide a SINGLE piece of evidence that supports this claim.
You cant.

Perhaps, but can you provide a single piece of evidence that it isn’t true?

 

[sun]

Also, the committee may not want to see too many potential repeats of last year's NCAAT games.
I personally don't want us to play against Iowa & Caitlin Clark again in a perennial Paige vs. Caitlin matchup.
If I feel that way then the committee may feel that way too.

As far as the money, the committee members are humans, they can vote based on factors that they don't have any official discussion about.
That could mean for some, money may be an issue but not for others.
I doubt that revenue differences are an overriding factor for the majority when the men overwhelmingly bring in the most revenues to the NCAA.
The NFL and MLB were able to operate without any fans, just TV money.
There's not going to be very much difference in attendance revenues based on where a single team is sent.
It may actually bring in more revenue if UConn were sent west because they also need good teams to play in the west to draw in more fans.

 

[Skeets]

You don't know that they're slipping. Any more that teams winning are rising. A close loss to Notre Dame or Oklahoma is likely not any worse than a modest win over Providence.

And again, teams are evaluated on their entire resume, and only on a few occasions. So the committee is not responding to "1-2 games happened since we last ranked." Instead, there are weeks of data good/bad, and a revisiting of the entire season.

The committee doesn't move teams up based on inertia. You need to do something worthy. Beating Tenn would be one. Crushing DePaul in a rematch (showing that the teams has improved) is another. But that's about it.

Huh? A loss is likely not worse than a win? You really need to explain the calculus to simple minded people such as myself. I always thought wins = good, losses = bad. But you learn something every day. It must be comforting for the teams 1 through 9 that they could lose games and it's likely no worse than a modest win.

 

[Skeets]

I agree money plays a big part, but if Bridgeport is already nearly sold out (I bought my tix the day they went on sale) are they putting UConn there for the hot dog and pretzel sales?

Ha, hot dogs and pretzels are peanuts (sorry for the pun) compared to paying $20 to park in an unpaved lot that has ankle deep mud. Someone in Bridgeport needs to be standing in an unemployment line. Count the cars, multiply by 2 games, and multiply by $20 and somebody is making a real nice buck without spending a single dime on asphalt. Shame, shame on Bridgefart.

 

[Monte]

No one I’ve seen is critical of the desire to play in Bridgeport.
They’re critical of feeling entitled to be in Bridgeport.

You are so lucky to interpret what people are thinking!

 

[Tonyc]

Also, the committee may not want to see too many potential repeats of last year's NCAAT games.
I personally don't want us to play against Iowa & Caitlin Clark again in a perennial Paige vs. Caitlin matchup.
If I feel that way then the committee may feel that way too.

As far as the money, the committee members are humans, they can vote based on factors that they don't have any official discussion about.
That could mean for some, money may be an issue but not for others.
I doubt that revenue differences are an overriding factor for the majority when the men overwhelmingly bring in the most revenues to the NCAA.
The NFL and MLB were able to operate without any fans, just TV money.
There's not going to be very much difference in attendance revenues based on where a single team is sent.
It may actually bring in more revenue if UConn were sent west because they also need good teams to play in the west to draw in more fans.

Fans are drawn to support their team. How many UConn fans would buy tickets to Bridgeport to see NC State and anybody other then UConn. Unfortunately many UConn fans have purchased tickets to Bridgeport because over the past unteen years UConn has been there. Its all about raising money. If you think its not send Pac 12 teams away from the West Coast, Send UConn away from the East coast Send Tenn away and send SC away from the east coast and tell me how many fans will show up. If you watch the prior years games many of the seats are empty. Please stop it.

 

[amb3096]

Fans are drawn to support their team. How many UConn fans would buy tickets to Bridgeport to see NC State and anybody other then UConn. Unfortunately many UConn fans have purchased tickets to Bridgeport because over the past unteen years UConn has been there. Its all about raising money. If you think its not send Pac 12 teams away from the West Coast, Send UConn away from the East coast Send Tenn away and send SC away from the east coast and tell me how many fans will show up. If you watch the prior years games many of the seats are empty. Please stop it.

This is because WCBB has very few fans. Some of the teams have rabid fanbases, but the sport itself is unpopular. If they want to really grow the sport, they need to bite the bullet and stop catering to stuff like this.

 

[Stymie]

Fans are drawn to support their team. How many UConn fans would buy tickets to Bridgeport to see NC State and anybody other then UConn. Unfortunately many UConn fans have purchased tickets to Bridgeport because over the past unteen years UConn has been there. Its all about raising money. If you think its not send Pac 12 teams away from the West Coast, Send UConn away from the East coast Send Tenn away and send SC away from the east coast and tell me how many fans will show up. If you watch the prior years games many of the seats are empty. Please stop it.

If you don’t think that out of area fans will sell out the joint to see UCONN lose, well, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

It would seem that TV rights is where the most money is, even in a women's tournament. Matchups during ideal viewing times. For women's basketball that is probably afternoon games on the weekend probably but I'm just guessing. Creating tv "events" is probably as important as venues. I sense that this year we will be TV cannon fodder. We are a media opportunity for good viewership in a final 8 game, to help promote the final 4. The most likely to me is us vs Stanford in a final 8 or something like that. If we win that's fine but it is not in our interest to go to the west coast to play. Time changes wreck havoc with people's biorythyms. One thing in our favor is that the NCAA probably does want our TV market as long as possible.

In my experience of moving through 18 time zones [much more than the three the Huskies would have to endure] biorythyms are more affected by West to East transits than East to West transits, and if young and properly hydrated with proper nutrition [nutrition is NOT what food on a plane is known for - unless it is a charter flight] before and after transit, very little affect will be sensed IF they do not try to practice before 6 - 7.5 hours of sleep.

Sleep on a plane is useless in my book, mostly due to engine noise, pressure changes (ear/balance effects), and turbulence at random intervals that are accompanied by announcements by "The Captain" or Chief Steward (or Stewardess)...

Don't think Paige and Nika {twin} would allow much sleep anyway with their typical energy level....

 

[sun]

Please stop it.

Tonyc, with all due respect, this year Bridgeport is being co-hosted by both the Fairfield Stags and UConn.
The Stags are in 1st place in the MAAC and Quinnipiac is in 2nd place.
That shows that UConn is not the only WCBB team in CT since there's also Quinnipiac, Yale and others.
Not only is Fairfield County one of the wealthiest counties in the USA, but boosters will also be coming from NYC, Westchester County, and college towns across the region & country when they fly into Stewart International Airport outside Newburgh, NY, and Westchester County Airport in White Plains and others.
CT taxpayers help fund UConn athletics and the fans that show up in Bridgeport will also help to support our state in that endeavor when they stay and spend money here.
I suggest to just trust the same NCAA process that selected Bridgeport as the host site and hope for the best.