The
wants to expand from 64 to 96 teams. After reading the results from the
first round, I suggest the powers that be reduce the women’s tournament field from 64 to 32 teams.
The way Division 1 women’s basketball currently is set up, chances of a No. 13, 14, 15 or 16 seed pulling off a first-round upset are slim to none. I tried to watch
against Iowa State on Sunday night, and I cringed. This was the Mountain Hawks’ — and perhaps the Patriot League’s — best team ever, and the question quickly became not whether Lehigh would win but whether it would score a basket in the first half. The Mountain Hawks at every position looked like midgets compared to the Cyclones.
Here are numbers from first-round games:
- No. 1 regional seeds won by an average 40 points, the high being Connecticut’s 95-39 win over Southern and the low being Stanford’s 32-point victory over UC-Riverside.
- No. 2 regional seeds prevailed by an average of 32 points, the high being Duke’s 35-point margin over Hampton and the closest being Notre Dame’s 86-58 nail-biter over Cleveland State.
- No. 3 seeds were involved in much closer games against No. 14s, though every contest boasted a double-digit final spread. The average margin of defeat was 13 points.
- No. 4 seeds roared by No. 13s by a 14-point margin. However, we finally find two games that were decided by less than 10 points — Oklahoma State 70-63 over Chattanooga and Kentucky 83-77 over Liberty.
Why does the women’s tournament fail to feature the suspense and excitement found in the men’s Big Dance? Here are my thoughts:
- The women use a 30-second shot clock compared to the men’s 35-second clock. That means more possessions in the women’s game, and that always favors a more talented team.
- Too many of the higher seeds host the first two rounds. So what we have is Stanford, Notre Dame, Iowa State and others hardly playing the role of gracious hosts. This is a rare year when UConn isn’t hosting first-round games.
- No one leaves early for the pro game so the good teams are really good — and experienced.
- Whereas in the men’s tournament good mid-major teams can do damage because they’re loaded with seniors against big-time programs with one-and-done freshmen, that dynamic doesn’t exist in the women’s tournament.
- Women’s programs are allowed to carry more scholarships at one time than the men’s programs. Consequently, more of the elite players are clustered on the elite teams rather than trickling down to the other teams.
Since receiving an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament in 1994, the Patriot League has yet to be competitive. As long as the women’s game remains structured as is, the
first-round fate won’t be changing soon.