The NCAA News - News & Features

II men's basketball adopts regional realignment plan

The basketball committee, meeting June 16-19 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, agreed to move four conferences and one independent school from their current regions to another.

The plan, one of three proposals submitted to the committee by Division II commissioners, seeks to create more balance within the eight regions, both geographically and numerically.

The influx of schools from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics resulted in one region having as many as 60 schools with other regions numbering in the 20s. The proposed realignment reinstates a more acceptable balance -- the largest region having 46 members and the smallest 27.

Under the plan, the Gulf South Conference will move from the South Central region to the South region; the Peach Belt Athletic Conference from the South to the South Atlantic; the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference from the South Atlantic to the East; and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference from the Great Lakes region to the North Central region.

In addition, Columbia Union College -- an independent -- will move from the South Atlantic region to the East region.

The proposed realignment also brings Division II men's regions in line with the Division II women's regions. If adopted by the Executive Committee, the changes will be in effect beginning with the 1996-97 season.

In other action at its annual meeting, the Division II basketball committee agreed to recommend changes in the minimum seating capacities and financial guarantees necessary to host a regional tournament. Generally, both criteria will be lowered to more accurately reflect what schools are able to provide when hosting a portion of the championship.

Five of the eight regions will see minimum seating capacity requirements drop anywhere from 100 to 600 seats. The North Central region's minimum capacity increased by 400, while the South Central and West regions' minimum capacities remained the same.

Except in one region, the minimum financial guarantees necessary to host a regional tournament decreased $1,500 to $2,000. The South Atlantic guarantee, however, increased from $10,000 to $12,500.

In addition, the committee agreed to eliminate the stipulation that a school may not host a regional tournament for more than two consecutive years, provided other adequate facilities are available.

The committee also agreed that it no longer would give preference to institutions where no other events are taking place at the same time as the Division II Men's Basketball Championship.

The committee also will recommend that it be given flexibility to consider certain factors (such as financial guarantees and travel costs) when selecting one regional site over another.

Other highlights

Division II Men's Basketball Committee
June 16-19/Jackson Hole, Wyoming

* Agreed to revise the listing of the team selection criteria included in the championships handbook. In addition to deleting redundant information, the committee will add a note reaffirming its position that, if applicable, regular-season and conference tournament games shall be given equal weight and consideration in looking at a team's won-lost record.

* Reviewed several incidents of misconduct during the 1996 tournament.

* Agreed to recommend the following conferences for automatic qualification in 1997: California Collegiate Athletic, Central Intercollegiate Athletic and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Associations, and Carolinas-Virginia Athletic, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic, Great Lakes Valley, Gulf South, Lone Star, New England Collegiate, New York Collegiate Athletic, North Central Intercollegiate Athletic, Northeast-10, Northern California Athletic, Northern Sun Intercollegiate, Pacific West, Peach Belt Athletic, Pennsylvania State Athletic, Rocky Mountain Athletic, South Atlantic, Southern Intercollegiate Athletic, Sunshine State and West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conferences.

* Voted that ticket allocations for teams participating in regional tournaments be reduced to 100 from the current 250.

* Voted that teams participating at regional tournaments and the Elite Eight be required to stay at their designated hotels.