Women’s tourney needs change
Like many of you reading this column, my past two weeks have been spent watching one of the best sporting events of the year: March Madness. From massive upsets in the first round — UAB and Georgia State in particular — to a No. 7 seed making the Final Four, this tournament has been fairly exciting, though not as great as past seasons.
The NCAA Tournament has never been more popular, posting the largest average overnight ratings in over 25 years. Last Sunday’s regional final between Duke and Gonzaga earned the best overnight rating for a regional game in over 10 years.
While the men’s tournament has rolled on basking in the national spotlight, however the women’s tournament is being played in the shadows.
This topic of discussion came up recently in my sports and technology class taught by Professor Jeff Fellenzer. While discussing the NCAA Tournament, a girl in my class asked Professor Fellenzer if he thought that the women’s tournament would ever become as popular as the men’s. What was supposed to be a simple question turned into a 20-minute debate about what could make the women’s tournament grow, leaving me contemplating the issue ever since.
In my opinion, the first and most important step for the NCAA to take is to reschedule the women’s tournament. As seen with a majority of professional sports, fans often choose to watch men’s sports over women’s — that’s just a fact. While no one expects the women’s tournament to challenge the men’s in terms of popularity, playing them at the same time basically inhibits any growth for women’s basketball.
The NCAA should follow the WNBA, which has shown signs of growth, and schedule its women’s and men’s tournaments at different times. Imagine if people were given the chance to watch March Madness twice. The buzzer beaters, Cinderella stories and other madness are all there, just hidden behind the shadows of the men’s tournament.
Another major factor that needs to be addressed for women’s college basketball is competitiveness. Out of 32 possible championships, 17 have gone to two schools, UConn and Tennessee.
Take this year as an example of how competitiveness is skewed in women’s basketball. In the Elite Eight, when teams are playing the best within their region, the average margin of victory was 12 points in the women’s tournament compared to just seven in the men’s game.
The No. 1 overall seed UConn Huskies have won the past two championships and look poised to claim their third-in-a-row this season. The Huskies have outscored their opponents by an audacious 164 points in just four games.
While changing the date of the women’s tournament and making the game more competitive will help, Professor Fellenzer suggested a great idea that I believe could make the women’s game more exciting to watch: lowering the basket.
Since the departure of Brittney Griner to the WNBA, there has not been a single slam dunk in women’s college basketball. Heck, in the history of women’s collegiate basketball, only seven players have ever dunked. It makes no sense to me why the height of the basket is 10 feet when the average height of a women’s basketball player is under 6 feet.
What makes the men’s game so entertaining is the jaw-dropping dunks, freak athleticism and plays that make the audience gasp. Lowering the basket would allow the athletes to show off their athleticism, while also evening the playing field. Though this change would probably never happen, it’s fun to fantasize about a league in which women are dunking at the same frequency as men.
One tidbit to point out is the fact that women’s basketball is one of the only sports that uses the same rules and requirements as its men’s equivalent. In volleyball they have lower nets, in lacrosse less pads, and in softball they pitch underhand.
The idea of lowering the baskets would most certainly be met with some criticism and skepticism. Change can cause some uproar from athletes and media alike; however, I truly believe that lowering the basket would help enhance the appeal of women’s basketball.
Though these are all fun suggestions, the women’s tournament has the ability to grow under the right circumstances. Only time will tell if the NCAA makes the appropriate changes to grow the game.
Nick Barbarino is a junior majoring in business administration. His column, “Beyond the Arc,” runs Fridays.