The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- December 6, 1999

Women's basketball panel sets preparations for 2000 event

The Division I Women's Basketball Committee met in Philadelphia October 25-27 to coordinate efforts with the local organizing committee and make final arrangements with ESPN for the 2000 championship.

This year's semifinal games are slated for March 31 at 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The championship game will be played April 2 at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

The committee also voted to submit to the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet the proposal recommending predetermined sites for first- and second-round games starting in 2001.

The committee had discussed the proposal last year but decided to consider all the ramifications the change could have on the tournament and selection criteria before forwarding the action.

The proposal calls for 16 sites to be selected with national geographic distribution as an important criteria. The hosts would not be neutral sites, though, as is the case for the men's championship.

"I think eventually the committee would like to see neutral, predetermined sites for the first and second rounds," said Donna Noonan, NCAA vice-president for the Division I Women's Basketball Championship. "I think this is a way to grow the sport for the time being and move toward neutral sites for the entirety of the championship."

Proposals will be sent to conferences and institutions to provide information on the requirements to bid to host first- and second-round games. The committee will make decisions on the 2001 hosts at next year's October meeting. Following the initial year, the time line could be moved back to name predetermined sites during the June meeting to allow more preparation time for potential hosts.

"The committee is excited to recommend the proposal for predetermined first- and second-round sites for NCAA tournament games," said Bernadette McGlade, chair of the Division I Women's Basketball Committee and assistant commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference. "Selecting predetermined sites before the championship will allow time for hosts to better prepare for the tournament games. It will result in a better experience for the student-athletes and institutions participating in the tournament, create a better opportunity for media coverage and improve our ability to put first- and second-round games on television."

In past years, the top 16 seeds in the tournament regularly hosted first- and second-round games. Predetermined sites will allow for the committee to consider institutions that typically draw large crowds but are not one of the top 16 seeds.

In other actions, the committee:

* Asked Worldtek, the official travel agency for NCAA championships, to look into ways institutions could e-mail travel needs to the New Haven-based office to enhance service and reduce the time coaches spend on the phone to secure travel accommodations.

* Met with representatives from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association to review plans involving a high-school all-star game to be played Saturday afternoon during the Women's Final Four.