The NCAA News - News and Features

February 16, 1998

Division I cabinet seeks bracket expansions

Field-size increases sought for five championships, but questions remain about availability of funding

The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet has recommended expansion of five Division I men's and women's championships, effective with the 1998-99 academic year.

If the financial aspects of the cabinet's recommendations are approved, the bracket size in the following team sports would be increased: baseball, from 48 to 64 teams; women's soccer, from 32 to 48; women's softball, from 32 to 48; and women's volleyball, from 56 to 64. In addition, the field sizes for the Division I Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships would increase from 184 participants to 255 for each gender.

The financial recommendations of the cabinet, which met February 3-5 in Phoenix, still must be approved by the Division I Management Council, the Division I Board of Directors and the NCAA Executive Committee. No funding for such championships expansion has been identified in the Association's budget projections, which means that the proposals would have to compete with other initiatives for the limited amount of discretionary spending that is available.

The most extensive changes would take place in the baseball and volleyball championships.

In baseball, the new format would provide for 16 four-team regionals, followed by eight two-team "super regionals." Winners of the "super-regional" competition would advance to the College World Series. The format for the College World Series would not change.

The regionals would be played on the campus of a competing institution or at a neutral site. Competition would be double elimination. The "super regionals" would be at the site of a competing institution and would be contested in a best-of-three format.

Currently, regional competition in the Division I Baseball Championship is conducted in eight six-team, double-elimination tournaments. Attendance at the events often has been good when the host team has advanced to the final round, but there have been cases where the host has lost its first two games, severely affecting attendance. The attendance effect of early losses by host teams would be lessened in the new format.

In women's volleyball, the format would call for 16 four-team first- and second-round sites. The current 56-team tournament uses eight three-team and eight four team first- and second-round sites. In the current arrangement, eight teams are seeded and awarded a first-round bye. In the proposed format, 16 teams would be seeded and byes would be eliminated.

The proposed increase in bracket size for the Division I Women's Soccer Championship reflects the expansion of the Association's fastest-growing sport. The bracket expanded from 12 to 16 teams in 1994, from 16 to 24 in 1995 and from 24 to 32 teams in 1996. In the proposed format, the first round would feature 32 teams paired geographically at campus sites; 16 teams would receive first-round byes. Each round of competition thereafter would be conducted at campus sites until the semifinal and final rounds, which would be conducted at a predetermined site.

In women's softball, the bracket would be revised to feature eight six-team, double-eliminations regionals, with the winners qualifying for the Women's College World Series. The current format uses eight four-team, double-elimination regional tournaments.

In addition to recommending an increase in the field size for the men's and women's cross country championships fields, the cabinet also voted to increase the distance for the Division I women's event from 5,000 meters to 6,000 meters.

The cabinet also supported changing the format of the men's and women's tennis championships so that the top eight teams (men) and the top 10 teams (women) no longer would advance automatically to the finals site and so that each bracket would comprise 64 teams. Both the men's and women's championships would comprise 16 predetermined regional sites with four teams at each site.

In women's gymnastics, the cabinet supported that the top 12 teams be seeded according to their regional qualifying score and paired, according to seed, in the regional qualifying meets. Also, one more regional meet and one more participating team would be added (from five meets with seven teams to six meets with six teams).

Other actions

The cabinet also voted to eliminate NCAA Bylaws 31.1.4.1 and 31.1.4.4 as they apply to Division I. The first bylaw specifies that if a participating institution has a policy against Sunday competition, the championship schedule must be adjusted to accommodate that institution. The second specifies that championships competition conducted on Sunday may not begin before noon local time. The change would have to be approved by the Division I Management Council and the Division I Board of Directors.

The cabinet also reviewed the results of a survey designed to determine the membership's interest in moving back the dates of the Division I baseball and softball championships by about a month. Those supporting such a change believe that it would aid institutions in the northern half of the country by lessening the adverse effect of weather on their schedules. Opponents believe that adjusting the schedule would introduce logistical problems that would exceed any benefits gained.

The survey did not reveal a mandate either way, and the cabinet voted to refer the matter back to Division I baseball and softball committees for further discussion.

Other highlights

Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet

February 3-5/Phoenix