Top Teams Will Be Separated in 2004; Regions No Longer Geographic

July 8, 2003

The NCAA announced that regional matchups for the Final Four will no longer be determined on a rotating basis.  Instead, the Selection Committee will place the top two teams on opposite sides of the bracket in an effort to create a national championship game of the Number 1 and 2 teams.

In past years, regional champions have met in the semifinals on a rotating basis, regardless of seeding.  In 2004, for example, the East regional champion would have met the West regional champion, even if the teams were ranked #1 and #2 in the nation.

Several high-profile basketball commentators, notably Dick Vitale, have long called for teams to be re-seeded at the Final Four.  While the committee stopped well short of that drastic step, the new seeding format will address the problem of having the top two teams meet in the national semifinals.  This occurred in 1999, when top-ranked Duke bested #2 Michigan State in the semis, and in more notably in 1996 when #2 Kentucky knocked off #1 UMass.

Additionally, the four regions in college basketball's showcase event will no longer be referred to by geographic regions such as East and Midwest.  Instead, the regions will be known by the city in which the regional finals will be held.  In 2004, the four regions will be known as East Rutherford, Atlanta, St. Louis, and Phoenix.

The advent of the "pod" system in 2002, in which teams are placed into first round sites without regard to tournament regions, set the stage for the elimination of geographic regional names.  While the new system could create an extra off day for some teams in the Final Four, there should be no significant advantage given the minimum of six days off between the regional final and the national semifinals.