The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- December 6, 1999

Frozen bracket

Profit, parity drive desire to expand men's ice hockey field for first time since 1988

BY TY HALPIN
STAFF WRITER

The Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship has become one of the NCAA's most competitive and profitable events, enough so that supporters of the championship believe that the time for bracket expansion has arrived.

They say that expansion is merited because of the addition of two conferences and because of the need for a more equitable format -- one that would include 16 teams in four regions, rather than the current 12-team, two-region approach.

"I think this is a logical step for the tournament," said Bill Wilkinson, chair of the Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee and head men's ice hockey coach at Wayne State University (Michigan).

The championship has been the NCAA's second-most profitable in terms of operating expenses and game receipts over the last two years.

"This event funds itself," said Philip A. Buttafuoco, commissioner of the Eastern College Athletic Conference, which has 12 Division I men's ice hockey schools. "I think there is probably additional revenue to be made with the potential addition of two regional sites."

The 1998 championship netted $824,776, not including television rights or other sponsorship fees. The 1997 championship brought in $749,517. Both totals trailed only the Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

At its annual meeting July 20-23 in Indianapolis, the Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee reviewed recent changes in sponsorship numbers and discussed the impact that the changes may have on the bracket. In particular, a number of programs that previously were Division II have migrated to Division I.

Within the next three years, sponsorship is expected to increase nearly 18 percent, from 51 in 1998-99 to 60, effective with the 2001-02 season. The number of Division I conferences sponsoring the sport has grown to six in the last two years with the addition of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and College Hockey America.

Brackets linked to sponsorship

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, recently expanded to a 64-team bracket with 88 percent sponsorship. But generally, the numbers determine the bracket. Men's ice hockey's percentage (17 percent) falls in the 12- to 16-team bracket range.

"With the new leagues coming into play, our championship warrants serious consideration for expansion," said Joseph D. Bertagna, executive director of the American Hockey Coaches Association and the commissioner of the Hockey East Association. "This would be a very good move for the championship and college hockey."

The increasing parity in men's ice hockey makes selecting 12 teams -- the responsibility of the Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee -- difficult.

"Who's to say the 13th team isn't good enough to win the championship?" Wilkinson said. "It makes it more difficult when you have to leave a team out of the tournament that probably deserves a chance. There are maybe four or five teams every year that are the cream of the crop. Then, there are quite a few teams that are very good, probably good enough to warrant tournament consideration. It's very hard to determine who deserves to play and who doesn't."

In addition to increased sponsorship numbers, the committee believes the following factors support an expansion from 12 to 16 teams:

* The bracket was last expanded in 1988.

* Championship attendance has continued to grow in the 1990s.

* The championship generates revenue.

* The number of club teams sponsoring the sport has grown steadily.

"The movement in the NCAA is to enhance the student-athlete experience as much as possible," Buttafuoco said. "To maximize the opportunities for this championship would be a very positive move."

The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet denied a proposed expansion to 16 teams in February 1999, but in September, the cabinet agreed to hear another expansion proposal from the Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee at its February 2000 meeting.

Should the cabinet approve the proposal, the expansion still would have to be approved by the Division I Management Council, the Division I Board of Directors and the NCAA Executive Committee. The committee hopes for an expanded bracket effective with the 2001 championship.

Women's championship

The committee believes that the addition of a women's ice hockey championship, probably in 2000-01, supports expansion of the men's championship, noting that the dramatic increase in schools sponsoring women's ice hockey shows the commitment institutions have made to ice hockey as a whole.

"We're very excited about the possibilities that are there with women's ice hockey," Buttafuoco said. "It's very important to us to have both championships be successful, and I think they will build on each other."

In fact, ice hockey is enjoying unprecedented institutional support. Several new campus arenas have been built, and ice hockey is spreading to new areas (the University of Alabama, Huntsville, and the University of Nebraska, Omaha, now have Division I teams).

"College hockey is on the rise," said Wilkinson, who also is head coach at Wayne State (Michigan). "There's a lot more interest at all levels and the administrative support is there. Having the opportunity to have more regionals would expose more people to college hockey and give more teams and their fans the chance to support the game."

With the Men's Frozen Four -- ice hockey's version of the Men's Final Four -- enjoying financial and competitive success, the Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee is optimistic that a four-team expansion will be approved.

"I think our championship is ready for this," Wilkinson said. "The support has been consistent, and this would make the championship more fair. It's the next step."

Division I Sponsorship

Percent Bracket

Championship sponsorship size

Men's basketball - 100 - 64

Women's basketball - 98 - 64

Women's volleyball - 96 - 64

Baseball - 88 - 64

Women's soccer - 80 - 48

Softball - 74 - 48

Men's soccer - 61 - 32

I-AA Football - 38 - 16

Field hockey - 23 - 16

Men's lacrosse - 17 - 12

Men's ice hockey - 17 - 12

Women's lacrosse (I/II) - 15 - 12

Men's volleyball - 7 - 4

Men's water polo - 4 - 4

Division I/National Collegiate Bracket Growth (Team Sports)

Division I (as of May 1999)

Championship - No. of institutions - Bracket - Last increase

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 8)

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

Championship - No. of institutions - Bracket - Last increase

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.