National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

July 20, 1998

Marketing study among topics for I Men's Basketball Committee

The Division I Men's Basketball Committee reviewed several championship issues during its June 22-26 meeting in Carlsbad, California.

The committee discussed with Host Communications and the Taylor Research and Consulting Group plans for the marketing and promotion of NCAA basketball during both the regular season and postseason. The committee met jointly with those groups and the Division I Women's Basketball Committee to review the results of a marketing study that Taylor conducted last season.

The results of the research will be forwarded to the basketball marketing subcommittee of the Division I Business/Finance Cabinet, which will determine what action to take with regard to the findings.

The committee also met with various other groups, including the Tampa Bay Organizing Committee, to review plans for the 1999 Final Four. A review of the 1998 telecasts and plans for next year were discussed with representatives of CBS Sports. A review of last year's radio broadcasts and program sales was discussed with Host Communications.

Ticket issues also were addressed. Beginning with the 2000 championship, the committee will increase the allocation for each of the teams that participate in first- and second-round sessions from 350 to 400.

The committee also met with the national coordinator of men's basketball officiating to review several recommendations. In related action, the committee will recommend to the Division I Championships/
Competition Cabinet that, beginning with the 2000 championship, fees for officials be increased from $575 to $650 per game.

The committee also reviewed information regarding the scalping of Final Four tickets during the 1998 Final Four. The committee agreed to impose a five-year suspension of ticket privileges on 30 members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (and one Division I athletics director) who were originally issued the tickets that were scalped at the 1998 championship.

As reported in the July 6 issue of The NCAA News, the committee recommended sites for the 2003 through 2007 Final Fours to the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet. The recommendations are: 2003 -- April 5 and 7 at the Superdome in New Orleans; 2004 -- April 3 and 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio; 2005 -- April 2 and 4 at the Trans World Dome in St. Louis; 2006 -- April 1 and 3 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis; and 2007 -- March 31 and April 2 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

The committee also agreed to the following logistical changes for the 1999 tournament:

  • To protect the highest seeded team a conference has in the tournament from having a fellow conference member in the same region until the sixth team from that conference is selected. The previous policy protected such a team until an eighth team from that conference was selected. The adjustment gives the committee more flexibility in bracketing teams.

  • To conduct periodic seminars to review tournament selection, seeding and bracketing to educate coaches, media and the public. The committee also reaffirmed maintaining the confidentiality of the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).

  • To allow an NCAA representative to photograph the committee during selection weekend with the purpose of making the photo available to all news agencies.

  • To require a two-night minimum stay at preliminary-round sites at the media headquarters hotel. The two nights would be the night before and the night of the first competition at the site.

  • In order to achieve consistency for each round, the committee will allot 50 minutes for all open practices. Under the old policy, an hour was allotted on the day before the first round, while 45 minutes was permitted on the day before the regional and national semifinals.