Please Explain . . .

[BEAR SKIN]

. . .how it is determined which schools will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

Is it the first 16 seeds? i.e. the 1 -4 seeds in each Region?

Are those seeds chosen strictly by national ranking, or are there other factors, like attendance, or even bids (like the baseball regionals)?

[RaiderPower1]

bids, money (attendance), RPI, deserving....etc.

It is usually the top 16 seeds, BUT if I can remember correctly, I think it was CSU last year or the last that hosted but was a 5 seed or something like that. There was a problem that the #4 seed couldn't host that time.

[mred]

Officially, the best 16 teams get the top 16 seeds. Those 16 schools host unless there is some sort of conflict that causes a school to be unable to host: in that case, the second-highest seeded team in the subregion (a 5-8 seed) hosts.

The top 16 teams are determined by a committee that takes into account RPI, polls, etc. It's pretty subjective, really. Attendance is not officially a criterion, but it is possible that it can be used as a tiebreaker of sorts, right or wrong. ISU fans certainly hope this is the case.

The Regional and Final Four sites are chosen by bids.

[mred]

Last season Iowa was a 4 seed, but Carver-Hawkeye was booked for the NCAA Wrestling Championships. You must host in a building where you played a regularly-scheduled home game. Iowa didn't play any outside of C-H Arena, so the #5 seed (don't remember who) hosted instead. There is a list of rules for hosting at ncaa.org (see http://www.ncaa.org/library/handbooks/basketball/2002/2002_d1_w_basketball.pdfthis pdf document</a> for all WBB Championship info):

1 . Minimum seating capacity of 4,000.
2 . Exclusive availability of facility for practice and competition. The facility must be exclusively available for the four teams’ practice and competition during the following times:
a . Day before the first-round games: From noon to 8 p.m. for team practices (one hour each).
b . Day of first-round games: Four and one-half hour block for team practices (one hour each); six hour block for games.
c . Day between first- and second-round sessions: Four and one-half hour block for team practices (two hours each).
d . Day of second-round games: Two and one-half hour block for team practices (one hour each); three hour block for the game.
3 . The facility must be in compliance with all applicable city, state or Federal laws and regulations, including those concerning access and seating for the disabled.
4 . Minimum guarantee of $8,000 in net receipts.
5 . Four team locker rooms, each with its own shower and toilet facilities.
6 . Two lockers rooms to accommodate game officials.
7 . Adequate space for pregame and postgame news conferences.
8 . Three separate team hotels of comparable quality and proximity to the facility. The host institution will be required to reserve a minimum of 50 rooms at each team hotel.
9 . A high-quality hotel, located in close proximity to the arena, to serve as the NCAA headquarters.
10 . Standard basketball playing court and equipment meeting specifications as detailed in Rule No. 1 of the NCAA Men’s and
Women’s Rules and Interpretations Book, including modern scoreboards, backboards, standards and rims, all of which must be provided by the facility at its expense.
11 . At its expense, it is recommended that each facility test its rims prior to the championship competition, to ensure that the rebound elasticity meets the standards as specified in the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Rules and Interpretations Book.
12 . The facility must provide paramedics and a first-aid room on open practice and game days. One ambulance to serve the public and participants must be provided on the gamedays.

[dem]

When #4 seed Iowa could not host last year, the first and second rounds were instead played at #5 University of Utah. Salt Lake City, being at altitude, provides a significant home-court advantage (similar to Boulder?) and Utah beat Iowa pretty handily, thus advancing to the Regional semi-final in Denver. There they gave a pretty good game to Notre Dame for the first half before getting blown out.

[BenEClone]

MRED, do you know the hotels ISU designates? 50 rooms is a big block of rooms. I assume the NCAA hotel is the former Holiday INN?

[mred]

The former Gateway Holiday Inn has to be the NCAA headquarters. It's a nice hotel, quite large, and only a few minutes from Hilton.

I don't actually know where any of the teams stay (or the NCAA for that matter), but I imagine the Ramada Inn on South Duff and hotels by the interstate are some of the most likely. I think there's also another hotel or two by Gateway.

[swok34]

I think I heard that the higher you are seeded, the better the hotel room and perhaps even travel....that also goes for fan seating. 4 sections of seating have to be blocked off for the "teams"......and last year Stanford, the higher seed at OU had the area behind their bench, while ORU & G. Washington's area were across the court.