The Division I Men's Basketball Committee has approved a one-year experiment in which the sequence of second-round start times at three of eight sites of the 2002 Division I Men's Basketball Championship will be announced at the end of the first-round games at those three sites.

Meeting in New Orleans December 3-5, the committee approved the following experimental process:

On Selection Sunday night, CBS will relay to the committee its preferences for the start times and sequence of games for all first-round games and for five of the eight second-round sites. The NCAA will review CBS's preferences and will announce those starting times that night.

Also on Selection Sunday night, CBS will choose two Saturday second-round sites (A and B) and one Sunday site (C), at which the network will have flexibility regarding the sequence of games. Specifically, CBS will recommend that the two games Saturday at site A be played in the first and second broadcast windows; that the two games Saturday at site B be played in the third and fourth windows, and that the two games Sunday at site C be played in the second and third windows. (Generally, the four Saturday windows begin at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., Eastern time. Generally, the three Sunday windows begin at noon, 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., Eastern time.)

After the NCAA reviews the CBS recommendations, it will announce, for example, that the first game of the Saturday doubleheader at site A will tip off at 1 p.m., and that at Site B, the doubleheader will tip off at 5 p.m. As in the past, the second game of each doubleheader will tip off 30 minutes after the first game ends.

On Thursday night of the first round, CBS will request the sequence of games to be played Saturday at sites A and B. CBS will make every effort to notify the committee of its recommendations early in the evening. The NCAA will announce the order of games before CBS leaves the air that night.

The basketball committee will follow that same procedure Friday night of the first round for the sequence of games to be played Sunday at site C.

This procedure is similar to the one implemented by the committee for each of the four regional championship games beginning in 2001.

In other actions, the committee reviewed the new "pods" bracketing concept that the committee will use for the first time during the 2002 selection weekend to attempt to allow more teams to be assigned to sites near their campuses.

The group also agreed that the minimum seating capacity for the Final Fours in 2008, 2009 and 2010 would be 40,000.

Other highlights

Division I Men's Basketball Committee
December 3-5/New Orleans

Recommended that Dayton host the 2003 opening-round session, subject to approval by the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet.

Adopted special upgraded security plans to be implemented by hosts of all 14 sites of the 2002 championship.

Agreed not to provide teams winning second-round games with videotapes of their next opponents' second-round games. The committee cited the difficulty in getting the tapes to the teams, given the fact that their opponents might be playing at a different site and on a different date. The group agreed to continue providing tapes to teams that win first-round and regional-semifinal games.

Studied the Rating Percentage Index (RPI) and agreed to continue to consider ways to enhance it as one of the tools used by the committee to evaluate teams during selection weekend.