Selection Monday

[Matt Coatney]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/news/story?id=1914051
Monday, November 1, 2004
NCAA expects 'enhanced exposure'
Associated Press
BRISTOL, Conn. -- Make it Selection Monday for women's college basketball.



Beginning in 2006, the 64-team field for the NCAA women's tournament will be announced on ESPN on Monday, a day after the men's field is revealed.



"The committee feels the move to Selection Monday will create enhanced exposure and serve as a growth agent for women's basketball as a whole," Lynn Parkes, the chair of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee, said in a statement Monday.



The selection show's move to Monday will not effect the tournament's schedule. The first round will begin Saturday.

[Jennifer]

Well, that gives everyone one less day to make travel arrangements, and depending on the time of the broadcast, how much more of an audience can they reach?
My Mondays rarely see me get home before 7 CST.

[Bevo]

I don't think this is going to increase the exposure of the selection show at all. The people who are going to watch the show are going to watch it whenever it is on. Those who are not interested will not.

This just continues a trend of late to try to avoid any timing conflicts with the men's tourney. The result that we have obtained is crazy game start times (really early or really late) and non-weekend (Mon/Tue) games that are difficult if not impossible for out of towners to attend tournament games. For example, the upcoming season's 1st and 2nd round games in Dallas hosted by UT and TTU. It is on a Sat/Mon schedule. As much as I enjoy the sport, I am not willing or able to take a day or two off from work to be able to attend a Monday night second round contest held in another city. Put that same event on a Fri/Sun schedule, and maybe I could swing it. The other sites are on a Sun/Tue schedule. It just doesn't make sense to me.

[Row6Seat10]

I don't think this is going to increase the exposure of the selection show at all.

This just continues a trend of late to try to avoid any timing conflicts with the men's tourney.

It just doesn't make sense to me.

It doesn't make much sense to me either. Sounds like ESPN is to worried about not getting enough men's coverage on Sunday so they are moving it to Monday. Wasn't ESPN giving the women's selection show only 30 minutes in the past.

If they're going to move it to Monday to enhance exposure will they give the viewer more viewing time? Why not give us at least 2 hours of coverage Monday evening. Or will they still limit it to 30 minutes or if we're lucky an hour so the rest of the evening they can have Dickie V complain about some Idaho team that should of made the men's tournament but didn't.