What begins as March Madness could have an Awesome April finish if a concept in women’s basketball gains momentum.

The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Enhancement Discussion Group, chaired by NCAA President Myles Brand, is examining the feasibility of moving the women’s basketball championship back one week to position the event uniquely in the NCAA championship landscape.

Currently, the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship is staged so that each round finishes just after the corresponding men’s round. Similarly, the Women’s Final Four championship game is the day after the men’s. But proponents of a move say it could enhance the women’s championship by giving it a timeframe late enough to be on its own but still clearly within the basketball-season window.

Sue Donohoe, NCAA vice president for Division I women’s basketball and liaison to the discussion group, said members want to solicit ample feedback to fully determine if the initiative will serve as a growth agent for the game.

"We will actively solicit input and feedback from the membership," she said. "Although the discussions are preliminary, we want to make sure conferences know they are occurring."

The feedback is important because of the effect such a move would have on the game’s various stakeholders. Discussion-group members in fact are aware that a shift in the tournament dates would cause a domino effect and raise plenty of questions.

For example, would the proposal change the number of days in the playing season? What would be the new start date of the NCAA tournament? When would the selection show be held? How would the move affect existing and future media contracts? Can enough hotel rooms be obtained to accommodate the proposed date changes? Would other NCAA championships be affected?

"Clearly, many details have to be explored, which is why we’re soliciting input from stakeholders," Donohoe said. "It’s important to find out whether the idea has momentum before doing the legislative groundwork such a change would require."

Conferences and institutions will be surveyed about the proposal in the coming months.

NCAA President Brand appointed the discussion group last year to think creatively and aggressively about the game’s future. With the popularity of women’s college basketball at an all-time high, Brand convened an experienced group to enhance the sport’s success and build on its current momentum.

The discussion group consists of head coaches, athletics directors, conference commissioners, coaches association representatives, television executives and student-athletes. Among the ideas they have deliberated are marketing the game at the grass-roots level, managing the growth of the game and encouraging more institutional support, but the concept of moving the season has generated the most debate.

Women’s Basketball Coaches Association CEO Beth Bass, a member of the discussion group, said while the idea hasn’t been fully vetted within her constituency, it has some merit in her mind.

"A lot of due diligence has to be done," Bass said. "I try never to get out in front of my membership, but my initial feeling is that the idea has some validity. It will be important, though, to hear from our broadcast partner ESPN. They have to see if a new programming model makes sense for them."

Donohoe said ESPN officials have indicated a willingness to consider the concept. The earliest a legislative proposal could be submitted would be for the 2007-08 cycle. An effective date is unclear at this point, given the details that would have to be worked out.

The concept also would directly affect conference tournaments. Some leagues, such as the Southeastern Conference, play their women’s tournaments in separate cities on separate weeks from their men’s tournaments. Usually the SEC tournament is the week before the men compete. If the NCAA tournament is moved back a week and the SEC can’t move its dates, teams in that league could go up to three weeks without playing a game.

The idea of moving the women’s tournament further from the shadow of the men’s is not new, but this is the first time a concerted effort has been made to take a national pulse on the merits.

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt, a member of the discussion group, said like many of her colleagues, she is open to the concept but wants to be sure that women’s basketball doesn’t stray too far from its traditional spot on the calendar.

"You don’t want to go head to head with the men’s tournament, but there are a lot of fans who may watch women’s basketball because they’re in that mode at that time of year," Summitt said.

Chris Plonsky, a member of the discussion group and the director of women’s athletics at the University of Texas at Austin, believes a shift in women’s basketball doesn’t have to be radical to be effective.

"What we’re talking about is an intelligent tweak working in conjunction with our media partner ESPN," Plonsky said. "We want to be sure we don’t damage the flow of the championship format that they’ve supplied for women’s basketball. You don’t want to gain a more open weekend where there aren’t too many things going on but lose from the March Madness concept, which is the gold standard in terms of any event."

Some discussion-group members raised concern about holding the Women’s Final Four the same weekend as the Master’s golf tournament, but if the national semifinals are played at night, that would avoid the conflict.

The discussion group is scheduled to meet again in April after the Women’s Final Four.