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The NCAA News - News and FeaturesThe NCAA News -- October 11, 1999 Quantity or Quality?
Committees look to balance correlation between bigger brackets and better championships
BY GARY T. BROWN
Wouldn't that be great? Would it? One goal of every student-athlete is to participate in an NCAA championship. And providing those opportunities is one of the primary pillars upon which the Association was founded. But right now, just donning a uniform doesn't get you to the dance. Sports committees can select only as many teams as the championship bracket will allow, and governing bodies in charge of establishing the brackets in the first place can increase the field only as much as the sponsorship will allow. At the core of both charges is designing the best possible championship experience for the participants. There are different philosophies at work for each division in order for championships to grow not only in size but in quality -- and one doesn't necessarily always follow the other. Percentages and ratios In Division I, championships brackets are linked to the percentage of teams that sponsor the sport. Sports with greater than 90 percent sponsorship are entitled to a 64-team bracket; sports with sponsorship percentages between 60 and 90 have a 48-team field, and so on. There are exceptions. Baseball, for example, just expanded to a 64-team bracket with only 88 percent sponsorship. But generally, the numbers determine the bracket.
Divisions II follows the same principle to a large degree, and Division III has established a formula based upon a ratio, which for team sports is now 1:7.5 and 1:16 for individual/ But there are other numbers that factor into those equations as well. Maintaining an equitable number of championship opportunities for men and women, establishing field sizes that are efficiently managed and administered, and responsible allocation of Association funds all affect a championship group's decision whether to expand a particular bracket. "The challenge sometimes is how to prioritize the expansion opportunities," said Tricia Bork, the NCAA's vice-president for championships. "Some sports are going to meet the criteria for expansion better than others. Championships committees also recognize the need to provide equitable participation opportunities for women, so increasing women's brackets has been a priority recently. They might even consider what's manageable -- you're not going to go to 500 participants in swimming, for example." It's not a sports committee's decision when to expand, either. The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet and the Divisions II and III Championships Committees determine when a given sport is ready for the next level. They in turn ask the sports committee to develop a proposal to expand. But even that isn't a slam dunk. Ultimately, the Executive Committee makes the call. A recent case in point is Division I men's soccer. Having reached the required sponsorship level to expand the current 32-team bracket to 48, the Championships/Competition Cabinet asked for a proposal, which was approved all the way up the governance chain until the Division I Budget Subcommittee said there wasn't enough money available for that expansion -- in addition to the other championships expansions and initiatives the cabinet had requested. When the cabinet went back to the table to prioritize, soccer was the odd man out -- for now. The proposal will resurface next year. There are other unique situations. The National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship never has included a Division III team despite a majority of the sport's sponsorship residing at the Division III level. In other words, if it weren't for the Division III men's volleyball programs, there wouldn't be a party, but when it comes to invitations, Division III is left off the dance card. "That's a bone of contention to some," said Donna Noonan, NCAA vice-president for the Division I Women's Basketball Championship. "But others say it's Division I money paying for the championship." Women's ice hockey, an emerging women's sport, faces similar circumstances. Women's rowing, which established a National Collegiate championship in 1997, also is dominated by Division III programs, but the championship allots berths to Divisions II and III teams. What is enough? Divisions II and III also face the possibility of an influx of new members that may not sponsor a specific sport and perhaps actually could reduce the sponsorship percentage or ratio in that sport. Dennis L. Poppe, NCAA director of championships, said such a scenario where a bracket would actually be reduced would be unlikely in this day and age. "The men's (Division II) lacrosse championship was threatened, but last year's Convention voted to retain that," Poppe said. "They've not been able to eliminate championships unless the number is just too small -- and what constitutes what is too small has yet to be determined." Nor has what is too big yet to be determined. Every sports committee would want a larger field, not only to promote its sport but to find a clearer delineation between who belongs and who doesn't come selection time. "It's hard to evaluate the quality of competition, because any sport can make an argument that quality teams are being left out no matter how large the bracket is," Bork said. "But at some point, you have to recognize that big enough is big enough." Noonan said percentages, ratios and policies help committees make those distinctions, and championships groups have been open-minded when it comes to evaluating proposals on a case-by-case basis to make sure the championship experience is the best it can be. "You want to create as many opportunities as possible within the financial guidelines that you have to work with," she said. "That's our bottom line."
Division I/National Collegiate Bracket Growth (Team Sports)Division I -- No. of institutions -- Bracket -- Last increase -- Championship -- sponsoring sport -- -- (as of May 1999) Baseball -- 277 -- 64 -- 1999 (from 48) Men's Basketball -- 312 -- 64 -- 1985 (from 53) Women's Basketball -- 306 -- 64 -- 1994 (from 56) Field Hockey -- 73 -- 16 -- 1999 (from 12) I-AA Football -- 119 -- 16 -- 1986 (from 12) Ice Hockey -- 52 -- 12 -- 1988 (from 9) Men's Lacrosse -- 52 -- 12 -- 1987 (from 10) Men's Soccer -- 191 -- 32 -- 1993 (from 28) Women's Soccer -- 250 -- 48 -- 1998 (from 32) Softball -- 232 -- 48 -- 1999 (from 32) Women's Volleyball -- 299 -- 64 -- 1998 (from 56) National Collegiate -- No. of institutions -- Bracket -- Last increase -- Championship -- sponsoring sport -- -- (as of May 1999) Women's Lacrosse -- 89 -- 8 -- 1996 (from 6) Men's Volleyball -- 79 -- 4 -- N/A* Water Polo -- 43 -- 4 -- 1995** *Bracket has remained at four teams since tournament's inception in 1970. **Bracket reduced from eight teams. Division II Bracket Growth (Team Sports) Division II -- No. of institutions -- Bracket -- Last increase -- Championship -- sponsoring sport -- -- (as of May 1999) Baseball -- 232 -- 32 -- 1998 (from 24) Men's Basketball -- 291 -- 48 -- 1995 (from 32) Women's Basketball -- 289 -- 48 -- 1995 (from 32) Field Hockey -- 26 -- 2 -- 1992* Football -- 158 -- 16 -- 1988 (from 8) Men's Lacrosse -- 31 -- 2 -- 1993** Men's Soccer -- 169 -- 16 -- 1997 (from 12) Women's Soccer -- 179 -- 16 -- 1997 (from 12) Softball -- 244 -- 32 -- 1998 (from 24) Women's Volleyball -- 272 -- 32 -- 1997 (from 28) *Championship restored after being discontinued in 1983. **Championship restored after being discontinued in 1982. Division III Bracket Growth (Team Sports) Division III -- No. of institutions -- Bracket -- Last increase -- Championship -- sponsoring sport -- -- (as of May 1999) Baseball -- 338 -- 40 -- 1998 (from 32) Men's Basketball -- 380 -- 48 -- 1997 (from 32) Women's Basketball -- 409 -- 48 -- 1997 (from 32) Field Hockey -- 141 -- 16 -- 1984 (from 12) Football -- 218 -- 24 -- 1999 (from 16) Ice Hockey -- 66 -- 8 -- N/A* Men's Lacrosse -- 114 -- 12 -- 1998 (from 8) Women's Lacrosse -- 124 -- 12 -- 1998 (from 8) Men's Soccer -- 358 -- 40 -- 1997 (from 32) Women's Soccer -- 362 -- 40 -- 1997 (from 24) Softball -- 356 -- 40 -- 1997 (from 24) Women's Volleyball -- 392 -- 32 -- 1997 (from 28) *Bracket has remained at eight teams since tournament's inception in 1984. |
Every year around March, when college basketball is hitting a fever pitch, someone will say that the tournament ought to include everybody -- have a giant playoff so that no one will be left out, so that no one will have to explain things like strength of schedule, RPI and point differential as reasons for not making the field.