Auriemma on Tournament Format: ‘We’re Short-Changing the Kids’

TAMPA — Since its 2021 gender equity report, the NCAA has made several changes to the women’s tournament format. But UConn coach Geno Auriemma isn’t satisfied.

Following the Huskies’ Final Four win Friday over UCLA, Auriemma sounded off to reporters about the NCAA’s decision to reduce its regional round sites—the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight—from four to two in 2023.

“You know why they have two regionals? So they can cut costs … And then [they] say how much money we’re making … We’re short-changing the kids,” Auriemma said. 

On Saturday, Auriemma, who has coached the Huskies since 1985, continued his speech at a press conference: “You shouldn’t be trying to make more money by short-changing [the players’] experience. I don’t think there’s anybody on the guy’s side on the committees going, ‘You know, I think we could save a couple of dollars if we do this. … Sometimes you’ve got to spend a lot of money to make way more money.” 

This year’s two-site regional format was played in Spokane, Wash. and Birmingham, Ala. Auriemma believes two regions are unfavorable for certain schools and fanbases that have to make a longer trip. “What you’re saying if you have two regionals is that you don’t care if half the country can’t get to the game,” Auriemma said Friday.

Oregon guard Deja Kelly, who played in her fifth and final NCAA tournament this year, told Front Office Sports that she “completely agrees” with Auriemma. “It’s tough for teams who are going from the East Coast to the Spokane region. Fans can’t really travel that far and vice versa.”

Lynn Holzman, NCAA’s VP for women’s basketball, told FOS on Wednesday that the league has benefitted attendance-wise from the change. “Our two-site regional model: It was a strategic decision by the committee to try to be responsive to what were very stagnant attendance numbers,” she said. “We have increased ticket sales therefore we have increased revenue.”

The NCAA averaged 91,205 total fans at its regional games in the three years since making the change, up 54% from the 59,230 average between 2018, 2019, and 2022. (The 2020 tournament was canceled and 2021 had limited attendance due to COVID-19.)

Holzman also told FOS that the league plans to study the feasibility of moving the first two rounds and the First Four to neutral sites.