NCAA President Fires Back at Auriemma: Two-Site Tournament Format Is Crushing It
The NCAA is not backing down from its Women's Final Four setup, and President Charlie Baker made that crystal clear on Friday. When asked about UConn coach Geno Auriemma's recent complaints about the two-site regional format, Baker essentially said the numbers speak for themselves: attendance is up, viewership is up, and ticket sales are climbing year over year. "It's pretty hard to argue when attendance is up, viewership is up and ticket sales are up consistently year over year that this formula isn't working," Baker told reporters before the Women's Final Four in Phoenix.
Auriemma's Complaints Are Getting Louder
Last week, Auriemma went off on the NCAA, pointing out a laundry list of logistical nightmares that come with the two-site setup. He ripped into the decision making, saying "I just don't understand some of the decisions that are made about our game when we're trying to grow the goddamn game." His specific gripes included broken-in baskets being used, and worse, practice and shootaround schedules that are basically impossible to work around because court time is so limited. At the Fort Worth Regional, UConn's shootaround before their Friday game wasn't even held at the actual arena and started at 6:20 a.m. Auriemma also took aim at Title IX implementation, claiming "Title IX legislation, in practice, is pretty much out the window."
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Baker acknowledged the scheduling headaches and said the committee will take a hard look at those concerns moving forward. But he leaned on the data to defend the format. Ticket sales, viewership, and attendance have all spiked dramatically over the past few years under the two-site system. The women's tournament switched from a four-site regional format to two sites back in 2023, and the NCAA confirmed to ESPN this month that the two-site setup is locked in for at least five more seasons. Baker also pointed to increased scholarship numbers for women and new sanctioned women's sports as evidence that the NCAA is serious about growing the game. Auriemma has been critical of the two-site format since day one, and clearly this isn't over.
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