The Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Committees conducted meetings June 23-28 in Monterey, California, and reviewed various policies regarding the men's and women's championships.

With both committees meeting at the same site, the two groups held a joint meeting and committed to further coordination of various aspects of the championships in the future.

During subsequent separate meetings, the women's committee announced predetermined first- and second-round sites for the first time. The group also selected the RCA Dome as the facility for the 2005 Women's Final Four in Indianapolis.

The RCA Dome will host the women's finals for the first time. The facility has hosted the Men's Final Four three times. When the women's committee chose Indianapolis as the host city for 2005, it had not yet determined if Conseco Fieldhouse or the RCA Dome would be the site.

"The pluses of the RCA Dome, especially its flexibility to accommodate more fans in an area where there is a great enthusiasm for basketball, were compelling in making this selection," said committee Chair Maryalyce Jeremiah, senior associate director of athletics at California State University, Fullerton. "The committee appreciates the Indianapolis local organizing committee giving it the opportunity to select between the RCA Dome and Conseco Fieldhouse."

As for the selection of preliminary-round sites, the 2003 championship will be the first in which all sites through the final have been determined in advance. In previous years, the first- and second-round sites were announced on selection day and awarded based on seed unless facility or other limitations existed.

"The selection of predetermined sites presented the committee with many challenges," Jeremiah said. "We believe the sites selected will provide a solid foundation for the success of the first and second rounds, while expanding opportunities to grow the sport. The new format will present challenges, but the committee believes the competitive experiences will help the championship continue to grow."

The first- and second-round games will be played March 22 and 24 or March 23 and 25. The exact dates for each site have not yet been announced.

The 16 host cities selected by the women's basketball committee and approved by the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet are: Manhattan, Kansas; University Park, Pennsylvania; Norfolk, Virginia; Boulder, Colorado; Storrs, Connecticut; Norman, Oklahoma; West Lafayette, Indiana; Stanford, California; Eugene, Oregon; Raleigh, North Carolina; Cincinnati; Athens, Georgia; Ruston, Louisiana; Knoxville, Tennessee; Lubbock, Texas; and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The committee also named the following regional sites for 2004, 2005 and 2006:

2004: East -- Hartford, Connecticut; Mideast -- Norfolk, Virginia; Midwest -- Norman, Oklahoma; West -- Tempe, Arizona.

2005: East -- Philadelphia; Mideast -- Chattanooga; Midwest -- Kansas City, Missouri; West -- Seattle.

2006: East -- Fairfield, Connecticut; Mideast -- Cleveland; Midwest -- San Antonio; West -- Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"The cities selected represent a geographical mix that will provide for more fans around the country to see women's basketball at this level," Jeremiah said. "Those cities demonstrated in their bids an eagerness to make the sessions the best yet with regard to attendance, marketing and promotion."

The women's committee also reviewed a change in the date format for the 2003 championship, in which the national semifinals and final will be conducted on Sunday and Tuesday. As a result of the format change, the committee moved the Women's Final Four Salute Dinner to Friday, the night before the open practice day. Previously, the dinner took place the night before the semifinal games.

Men's committee actions

One of the main discussion points for the men's basketball committee was the effect of last year's "pod" principle that was designed to keep as many teams as close to their campuses as possible. The committee reaffirmed its commitment to this process for the future.

As part of the planning for upcoming championships, the committee finalized specifications for potential host sites for the 2008 through 2010 Final Fours. These specifications and an availability questionnaire will be distributed later this summer to cities that meet the criteria, one of which requires that a host stadium have a seating capacity greater than 40,000.

The committee also heard presentations from CBS, Host Communications and ESPN regarding the Association's new bundled-rights agreements with those entities, and from representatives of the New Orleans local organizing committee that is planning the 2003 Final Four.

The committee conducted a complete review of the 2002 championship, noting that attendance at non-domed arenas in the first round was 99 percent of capacity.

The men's committee also took the following actions:

Agreed to provide seats in the media area for coaching staffs to scout only their next opponent.

Voted to require three-sided shot clocks at all tournament venues beginning in 2006 and center-hung scoreboards at Final Four facilities, effective 2008. All hosts for those games will be asked to make a best effort to provide such equipment before those dates.

Added the director of basketball operations to the list of permissible individuals to serve as a representative of a competing team's coaching staff at the pre-tournament meetings before the regional semifinals and national semifinals.

Approved issuing an all-access credential and a seat in the school's band section for each institution's cheerleader coach.

Recommended to the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet that University of Iowa Athletics Director Bob Bowlsby serve as chair during the 2003-04 academic year.