Two-site regional format by 2023?

[Plebe]

DI Women’s Basketball Committee elects chairs for 2019-21

At the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee meeting July 15-17 in Indianapolis, veteran athletics administrators Diane Turnham and Nina King were picked

www.ncaa.org

In addition, the committee also recommended pursuing a two-site, eight-team regional format by the 2023 championship, while backing the use of the NCAA Evaluation Tool in the evaluation of teams.​

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The committee’s recommendation to move to a two-site regional format effective for the 2023 championship was supported by the Division I Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee. The Women’s Basketball Committee noted moving to a two-site format would elevate and enhance the student-athlete experience, enhance broadcast coverage, create opportunity for growth of the sport and championship, build the brand of women’s basketball and expand programming targeting strategic plan initiatives that were announced in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Strategic Plan.​

 

[nwhoopfan]

Saw that on another site. Don't like the sound of it. The four Regionals are drawing fairly well, why fix it if it ain't broke? Also I could see this as a way of never having a Regional remotely close to the West Coast again. I mean Texas and Chicago are in the west, right?

 

[Monte]

Well, in 2020, the EASTERN Regional is in Indianapolis. It seems the committee always has to be making changes(this shows that they are working).........I believe the 2021+2022 Eastern Regionals are in Albany and Bridgeport; would these be cancelled?...........I agree, that things have been going well; why change the format?
I remember a few years ago, the Eastern Regional was to be held in Trenton. A few months earlier, New Jersey adopted sports Gambling. They took the Regional out of New Jersey and stated that no NCAA tourneys would be held in states which had gambling on sports. In a few years, with the coming of more and more gambling, they may have to have the tourneys in Mexico!

 

[nwhoopfan]

I believe the 2021+2022 Eastern Regionals are in Albany and Bridgeport; would these be cancelled?

I think this would start in 2023 if it is approved.

 

[Monte]

I think this would start in 2023 if it is approved.

Oh, ok; thanks.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Saw that on another site. Don't like the sound of it. The four Regionals are drawing fairly well, why fix it if it ain't broke? Also I could see this as a way of never having a Regional remotely close to the West Coast again. I mean Texas and Chicago are in the west, right?

Most people live east of the Mississippi River, so yeah Texas counts as the west!

 

[Tonyc]

The question arises will the teams that draw alot of fans...will their fans be willing to travel far away and how many of those fans will travel far away. Example. UConn sells out Harbor Yard and Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport at a very high price for a ticket compared to some other places. So if 9,000+ fans go to Bridgeport how many of those fans will go to Indiana and will other teams who draw far less fans ..will their teams travel to those games. IMO CT Tenn Oregon and some other teams that draw should be very very close to home.

I do like the 8 team concept. I was looking at setting up a tourney of 8 teams coming to CT for a Holiday tournament with UConn and maybe another CT D1 team along with some big named teams. The tourney would run for 3 days with afternoon and evening games. The cost was very high and teams wanted to be guaranteed x amount of dollars. Of course hotels restaurants parking would be relishing on the thought of what they could earn. With the costs the way they were ticket prices would have to have been very high too.

 

[Ralph]

sounds like they want to have 8 teams and then 4 teams at two regionals to help fill up seats rather than 4 teams and 2 teams at four regionals. Two places with 8,000 fans that look full on TV is better than four places with 5,000 fans that look empty, or one regional with 8,000 fans and three with 3,000. I think 4 sites with shorter travel is much better, especially when travel has to be booked on short notice. I think this fixes a problem that does not exist. Getting rid of refs who always are against UConn and favoring all the other teams is much more important. We also need a rule that the players UConn wants from the northeast must elect to go to UConn. Actually, lets get rid of that limitation, make it the whole U.S. Also, "UConn wants" is defined as "the Boneyard wants". Are 20 player classes allowed? Why is spellcheck objecting to UConn with a red underline. I think this is a big tech conspiracy. I will bet MM had something to do with it.

 

[Rocket009]

Doesn't that make it more likely that a higher seeded team will have to play on a lower seed's home court since there are now fewer locations?

 

[bballnut90]

I think this

Doesn't that make it more likely that a higher seeded team will have to play on a lower seed's home court since there are now fewer locations?

Still happens regardless. Oregon has had home court advantage the last 2 years as a 2 seed putting Notre Dame and Mississippi State in road environments.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Meanwhile Doug Bonjour is reporting the Mohegan Sun is interested in hosting. Can't you just hear Dawn now should that come to pass?

 

[DefenseBB]

Site location is critical to any business. The thoughts of Chicago, Stockton California, Dallas Texas to name a few have all been tried and been unsuccessful (or in Stockton's case-very unsuccessful) even when they put local schools in those regions-ND in Chicago, Baylor in Dallas. The 2 site format will require 2 separate sessions each selling 9,000 seats each (matching your 36,000 target) to what will not be local travel for most of the #1 and #2 seeds. It's slightly broken, but is this the right fix vs. going to locations that you know draw well? I am fine with trying it but one site needs to be in the NY Metro region to get your 2 sessions of 9K. Most teams and fans will be ok going to NY. Not too many fans will enjoy Indianapolis in March....

 

[Alydar]

Site location is critical to any business. The thoughts of Chicago, Stockton California, Dallas Texas to name a few have all been tried and been unsuccessful (or in Stockton's case-very unsuccessful) even when they put local schools in those regions-ND in Chicago, Baylor in Dallas. The 2 site format will require 2 separate sessions each selling 9,000 seats each (matching your 36,000 target) to what will not be local travel for most of the #1 and #2 seeds. It's slightly broken, but is this the right fix vs. going to locations that you know draw well? I am fine with trying it but one site needs to be in the NY Metro region to get your 2 sessions of 9K. Most teams and fans will be ok going to NY. Not too many fans will enjoy Indianapolis in March....

But what a wcbb overdose, a twin double-header a day to rest and then a double-header with 3 of the 4 teams likely to be 1 & 2 seeds. No need for wraparound coverage. I wouldn't travel far for a 4 team regional if I was planning to go to the FF (UConn conceit) but if I could watch 6 top tier games in 3 days I would go. And 4 fan bases would be around for the second day's games so they could even show the stands on TV.

 

[Plebe]

But what a wcbb overdose, a twin double-header a day to rest and then a double-header with 3 of the 4 teams likely to be 1 & 2 seeds. No need for wraparound coverage. I wouldn't travel far for a 4 team regional if I was planning to go to the FF (UConn conceit) but if I could watch 6 top tier games in 3 days I would go. And 4 fan bases would be around for the second day's games so they could even show the stands on TV.

Why would they need to do both double-headers on the same day? I would expect the games at each site to be staggered so there was action each day. One regional plays (say) Thursday and Saturday and the other plays Friday-Sunday.

 

[Alydar]

If a regional plays Thur and Sat then they will have to play 4 games Thur. I think you mean that each site would play 2 games on Thur and then 2 on Fri. But then they have to give the Fri teams a day so there would be one game on Sat and one on Sun. meaning the arena would be tied up for 4 days instead of 3.