Texas A&M, Oklahoma tested with Women's NCAA Tournament seeds
12:32 AM CDT on Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Texas A&M coach Gary Blair realized the "pod" system in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament was doomed in 2007 when 400 people watched the Aggies beat UT-Arlington in Los Angeles.
The eight pods, usually in cities or larger college towns, are history this season. Back are 16 predetermined opening-round campus sites, each with four teams, a format last seen in 2004.
The idea: more fans and better TV.
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The down side: A great season, difficult scheduling and a high seed guarantee little when it comes to the brackets.
Oklahoma, the Big 12 regular-season champion, deservedly earned a No. 1 seed. Before the Sooners can think about playing in Oklahoma City for the regional, they could play eighth seed Iowa in Iowa City in the second round.
Nor will Blair likely be celebrating St. Patrick's Day. The Aggies, second to powerhouse Connecticut in the Trenton Region, could face No. 7 Notre Dame on the Irish's home court in the second round.
Four other teams seeded No. 3 or higher face similar second-round scenarios, including another No. 1 seed, Duke.
Neither Blair nor Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale offered any complaints Monday.
Each pointed to the selection committee's mission.
"They had to do what's good for the game," Blair said. "If you're good enough to win, you're supposed to be able to go to Notre Dame and win, just like we went up to Oklahoma City in the Big 12 tournament and beat Oklahoma."
But what's good for the women's game may not be good for a lot of high seeds this season.
And if they lose on opponents' home courts, will it qualify as an upset?