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The NCAA News -- May 24, 1999

Women's basketball group reviews future championship sites

The Division III Women's Basketball Committee reviewed bid requests for future championships and discussed the implementation of selection criteria that will go into effect for the 2000 championship at its annual meeting April 26-29 in Monterey, California.

The committee reviewed bids for the 2000, 2001 and 2002 Division III Women's Basketball Championships and will recommend to the Division III Championships Committee that the championship return to Western Connecticut State University in 2000 and 2001. The committee also requested that Western Connecticut State have the option to host in 2002. The committee will continue to solicit other bids to host the 2002 championship.

The committee also reviewed automatic-qualification issues for the 2000 championship and awarded 31 conferences automatic bids. The committee projects that if the 50-team bracket is approved in August, all 31 eligible conferences will receive automatic bids.

Approximately 11 teams will emerge from Pool B (composed of all independent schools) and eight teams will be selected from Pool C (schools whose conferences did not receive an automatic qualification or nonchampions from those conferences that did receive automatic qualification).

The committee recommended that those teams selected to participate in the championship from Pools B and C must have a minimum .500 won-lost record as a part of the selection criteria.

The committee also raised concerns regarding one of the selection criteria created by the Division III Championships Committee that uses results against teams already selected to the championship as a factor in selecting teams to the bracket. The women's basketball committee does not believe that this principle is credible with so many automatic qualifiers coming out of Pool A. It is recommending to the Championships Committee that this principle be eliminated as part of the selection criteria for the championship.

The committee will also recommend to the Championships Committee that the top seed of each region be provided a first-round bye, regardless of geographic proximity.

In other actions, the committee:

  • Addressed the clustering of teams for pairings and determined that there will be six regions of six teams and two regions of seven teams if bracket expansion is approved. The higher seeds will remain in their regions and the lower seeds will be moved out of their regions in an effort to more accurately balance the bracket, when possible. The committee will continue to pair teams according to driving distances versus flying distances.

  • Agreed to select and assign alternate officials as opposed to having the host sites contact officials of their choice to work championship competition. The committee will continue to use conference assignors for all rounds of competition. The committee will ask assignors, if available, to evaluate officials' performances during the first round.

  • Discussed the composite rankings records and agreed to continue to use the won-lost records of teams at the time they played one another.

  • Recommended to the championships committee that all hosts of all rounds of competition guarantee a minimum of 75 percent of the net receipts. Guarantees already are in place for the Divisions I and II championships. The committee hopes that by mandating a minimum guarantee, host institutions will improve on existing financial responsibilities.