The Last Bridgeport Regional?

[visitingcock]

Was this the last Bridgeport regional>

Well, it is this was the last year that Azi could play in a regional. We'll see after 2025.

The NCAA is switching to a 2-site (rather than 4) format next year. East and West Regionals only. (No, thats not Greensboro NC. It's SC's backyard for Boston's senior season in 2023) For the next three years will be:

2023 PRELIMINARY ROUND SITES
Round	City	Venue	Dates	Host
Regional	Greenville, S.C.	Bon Secours Wellness Arena	March 24 - 27	Southern Conference and Furman
Regional	Seattle	Climate Pledge Arena	March 24 - 27	Seattle and Seattle Sports Commission

2024 PRELIMINARY ROUND SITES
Round	City	Venue	Dates	Host
Regional	Albany, N.Y.	Times Union Center	March 29 - April 1	MAAC
Regional	Portland, Ore.	Moda Center	March 29 - April 1	Oregon State

2025 PRELIMINARY ROUND SITES
Round	City	Venue	Dates	Host
Regional	Birmingham, Ala.	Legacy Arena	March 28 - 31	SEC
Regional	Spokane, Wash.	Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena	March 28 - 31	Idaho and Spokane Veterans Mem

 

[visitingcock]

If it was the last one, it was a great one.

Paige's senior season will be Albany.

Tara and Stanford get no home cooking closer than Portland

 

[BBallF]

Why only the Pacific Northwest? To be consistent, it should then be the Northeast. Or the Southeast on the coast. This is just idiotic and probably driven by money. The whole concept of the Final Four involves teams coming from 4 separate regions. Let's see if their fake regional finals will draw 2 million viewers like Bridgeport.

 

[f1f1ferrari]

With the exception of Spokane, all these arenas seat more than 15,000 (Spokane approx. 12,600). Bridgeport only seats about 10,000. Don't know if the NCAA will want to go with such a comparitively small arena, though Bridgeport fills the arena, while the others tend not to.

 

[FairView]

I prefer the Times Union Center in Albany to the Bridgeport venue. It's only a couple of hours. I don't understand the logic of two regions instead of four. But, UConn will play wherever they need to play.
Go Huskies.

 

[visitingcock]

Why only the Pacific Northwest? To be consistent, it should then be the Northeast. Or the Southeast on the coast. This is just idiotic and probably driven by money. The whole concept of the Final Four involves teams coming from 4 separate regions. Let's see if their fake regional finals will draw 2 million viewers like Bridgeport.

I don't think the site affects TV viewers. UConn vs a 1/2 seed is gonna get the eyeballs wherever they play.

 

[SCHuskiedad]

If the NCAA’s goal is to continue to play in half empty arena’s then the northwest is a great choice.

 

[TCC Kid]

I don't think the site affects TV viewers. UConn vs a 1/2 seed is gonna get the eyeballs wherever they play.

You are correct! Eyeballs are not regionally fixed. Streaming and a bit less TV can go anywhere. Uconn fans, as long as they are winning, shall go anywhere to follow their team. That is true of Stanford, La Tech, (in years gone by), Notre Dame (how many will follow them without an NC?) Winning brings loads of followers.
So does it really matter, with a good economy, where your team goes? Long time husky fans is the base that keep the Huskys loved.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Good teams win on the road. That's not going to change.

 

[Blakeon18]

Questions: If there are only 2 regional sites for next year...and beyond...what impact does that have on the first weekend...if any?

Will there be still be top 4 seeds in 4 regions getting homecourt for the first weekend?
At that point those 16 teams...coming from the 4 regions...go to 2 sites....8 to a site...
presumably... as it is now... the NCAA will publish pre-tournament which 2 regions go to Seattle and which 2 go to
Greenville? 8 teams in both places...sweet 16 games/final 8 games...with 2 teams from both sites going to the final 4?

Maybe I have talked myself into understanding this...maybe!

The only difference between this year and next year...is simply a matter of geography only...2 regional sites instead of 4.
But there are still essentially 4 regions with top 4 seeds etc.

 

[Ferrarifan]

This is idiotic so, yeah, par for the course for the NCAA. People complained about home court advantage so they REDUCE the number of sites to reduce their ability to avoid said problem. Brilliant. We need to pull off a miracle run this year because there is no way we stop South Carolina next year.

 

[mbr33ct]

I will say this, if UConn ends up in Albany, NY in 2024, there will still hear about UConn getting preferential treatment/placement to Regionals.

 

[hoophuskee]

We need to pull off a miracle run this year because there is no way we stop South Carolina next year.

Not true at all.

 

[Geew1992]

If it was the last one, it was a great one.

Paige's senior season will be Albany.

Tara and Stanford get no home cooking closer than Portland

But SC will

 

[visitingcock]

But SC will

As will UConn in 24

 

[Ferrarifan]

Not true at all.

I hope I am wrong. But who do they lose? Who do we lose? Do we expect Piath or Amari to make a big enough jump to fill the void left by ONO? Will Aubrey fill the void left by Christyn? Will either of the freshman be that big of an impact to fill those voids? That's a lot to ask of a freshman. And then you ask them to beat SC in their back yard on top if it. Someone needs to tell Boston to jump to the WNBA or they will definitely be the pre-season #1 again next year and by a wide margin.

 

[Pharos]

This is idiotic so, yeah, par for the course for the NCAA. People complained about home court advantage so they REDUCE the number of sites to reduce their ability to avoid said problem. Brilliant. We need to pull off a miracle run this year because there is no way we stop South Carolina next year.

Respectfully disagree. : )

 

[SCGamecock]

I hope I am wrong. But who do they lose? Who do we lose? Do we expect Piath or Amari to make a big enough jump to fill the void left by ONO? Will Aubrey fill the void left by Christyn? Will either of the freshman be that big of an impact to fill those voids? That's a lot to ask of a freshman. And then you ask them to beat SC in their back yard on top if it. Someone needs to tell Boston to jump to the WNBA or they will definitely be the pre-season #1 again next year and by a wide margin.

I don’t feel bad at all for UConn going into next season. Paige, Azzi, and Caroline… that’s for sure the best 1-2-3 combination on the offensive side of the ball in the country early next season.

You’ll be fine.

 

[Superhuskies]

See ya, in ....a while......

 

[visitingcock]

I hope I am wrong. But who do they lose? Who do we lose? Do we expect Piath or Amari to make a big enough jump to fill the void left by ONO? Will Aubrey fill the void left by Christyn? Will either of the freshman be that big of an impact to fill those voids? That's a lot to ask of a freshman. And then you ask them to beat SC in their back yard on top if it. Someone needs to tell Boston to jump to the WNBA or they will definitely be the pre-season #1 again next year and by a wide margin.

We have two senior starters. Saxton and Henderson. Henderson will probably forgo her fifth year option, Saxton is a bit iffier but probably will if we can win it this year.

But we will still be loaded except we will be replacing our PG with an untested but highly regarded redshirt freshman. Could be a big difference.

 

[Blueconn]

Every single NCAA tournament game should be played in a foreign country, where English isn’t spoken, equidistant from every D1 campus in America.

 

[UcMiami]

But SC will

Sacramento - 120 miles from campus in 2026

 

[Geew1992]

Sacramento - 120 miles from campus in 2026

What about 2023?

 

[Geew1992]

We have two senior starters. Saxton and Henderson. Henderson will probably forgo her fifth year option, Saxton is a bit iffier but probably will if we can win it this year.

But we will still be loaded except we will be replacing our PG with an untested but highly regarded redshirt freshman. Could be a big difference.

Didn't Saxon use that year this year? She was a senior last year correct?

 

[dabears17]

11,500 fans attended the Portland regionals in 2019. This year Spokane had attendance of 7,700 with the closest school being 900 miles away. Greensboro only had 6,500 with the closest school being 180 miles away.

Locations bid thinking they can get enough income from the event to justify it. Every so often the NCAA tries an experiment for 4 years to see if it increases attendance and/or fairness. 2005 they went to 8 sub-regional sites, like the men do. There was a period where schools could host regionals on their campuses. When these locations were bid on, Oregon and Oregon State were pretty strong and Washington had recently gone to a final four. UCLA should be able to make some noise the next four years with Kiki Rice. Hopefully Oregon and Oregon State will get better the next few years.

The NCAA hopes that having 6 regional games in one location will increase interest and possibly build new fans in the host area. I'm skeptical, but hopeful.

2026 the regionals will be in Sacramento (120 miles from Stanford- basically the same distance as UConn is from Albany) and Dallas.