FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) 鈥� UConn coach Geno Auriemma is ripping the double-regional format being used in the , saying it doesn’t make sense for the teams still playing or for efforts to grow the game.
Auriemma brought up attendance, bad shooting percentages and teams having to come to the arena early and late on the same day while taking aim at the format that’s in place for a fourth year, and set to continue for at least five more.
鈥淲ell, I think the first question you鈥檇 have to ask is why did they go from four (sites) to two. What was the rationale?鈥� the 12-time national champion coach said Saturday. 鈥淚f they can explain it legitimately and then prove that it works, then great. So what was the reason?鈥�
The NCAA said in a statement to The Associated Press that attendance and ticket sales are up since the move to two regional sites, and an analysis by the women’s basketball committee determined a return to four sites likely would mean fewer bids and smaller markets.
鈥淭he women’s basketball committee will continue to work with student-athletes, coaches, athletic directors and other college sports leaders in doing what’s best to grow the game,鈥� the NCAA said.
The (37-0), the overall No. 1 seed, play Notre Dame (25-10) in the Fort Worth Regional 1 final Sunday.
The Huskies held their required media availability Saturday morning, after the Fighting Irish had already completed their session and before two Sweet 16 games in Fort Worth Regional 3 were played at Dickies Arena. UConn and Notre Dame both had scheduled practice times there later in the evening.
鈥淪o we had to get our kids up, come over here. You already knew who we were playing last night, but we can鈥檛 get on the court, and neither can the other teams,鈥� Auriemma said. 鈥淒oes anybody who makes these decisions ever ask the coaches and the players, hey, does this work?鈥�
Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong agreed with their coach’s strong sentiment.
鈥淓veryone鈥檚 trying to figure that out right now. Every team is going through that,鈥� Fudd said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no excuse in that. So we鈥檒l figure it out. We鈥檙e making it work, but it definitely isn鈥檛 the most ideal setup.鈥�
Auriemma, the winningest men’s or women’s NCAA basketball coach with 1,287 victories, didn’t wait for a question from reporters to share his thoughts on the format, opening his session reading off a piece of paper these numbers: 4 for 20, 4 for 22, 1 for 17, 5 for 17, 4 for 16, 7 for 26.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the 3-point shooting (Friday) across the country. How many arenas are we going to sell out with that (expletive)?鈥� he said. 鈥淣ow, maybe it was just a bad day shooting by everybody. These are all teams that average probably 30 (percent), over 30, for the season. Know what time our shootaround was (Friday)? Six in the morning, 6:20, I think, for half an hour.鈥�
He also mentioned the total combined attendance (18,821 announced) at the two venues Friday, in Fort Worth and .
UCLA coach Cori Close, whose team is the top seed in Sacramento Regional 2 and on Sunday, said it is important to get maximum exposure and coverage while also looking for the best setup to have high-level basketball played on the court.
鈥淚 think that I was in favor of going to the two regional sites when that happened,鈥� Close said. 鈥淚 think every year we should look and go, where are we in our game, how did this play out efficiency-wise, from a student-athlete well-being side, is there some ways in which we can organize to make things a little bit more cohesive so teams aren鈥檛 going back and forth from media coverage to practices later and those kinds of things?鈥�
Auriemma said there is a lack of input from coaches, and that nothing changes even when the NCAA sends representatives to schools every year after the tournament.
鈥淗opefully I鈥檓 speaking for the other coaches. Some coaches might think I鈥檓 full of it. And this is not about UConn. I hope everybody understands that,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is not about us, because you know, we鈥檝e managed to go to the Final Four and win national championships no matter where they鈥檙e played, when they鈥檙e played, what time they鈥檙e played, whatever.
鈥淚 think there is a level of frustration right now among the coaches that鈥檚 higher than any time I鈥檝e ever seen it.鈥�
coach Kara Lawson would like more practice time on the game court, especially more than the designated half-hour on game days for shootarounds, which routinely last about an hour the rest of the season.
鈥淭hat would be the only thing I鈥檇 change. I mean two regionals, I think the arena thing is the thing that鈥檚 hard,鈥� Lawson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not that we鈥檙e in the same city, it鈥檚 that we don鈥檛 get long enough practice or shootaround times in the venue for your most important games of the season.鈥�
For the second day in a row, Auriemma mentioned new rims and new basketballs being used during , and the impact those have on shooting.
鈥淚t’s hard to make shots in the postseason. They just break out these new baskets, new rims, and then it gets in the kids’ heads,鈥� Auriemma said Friday after , in which the teams were a combined 8 of 42 on 3-pointers.
The coach on Saturday again brought up 鈥渘ew basketballs right out of the box鈥� and the rims.
鈥淕ot people dribbling the ball off their feet. You got people missing layups all over the place. You bounce the ball, and it goes up to the ceiling. There鈥檚 just no concept of how basketball is played,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ot that I have any of the answers. Believe me, I just have questions.鈥�
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