Stanford women's basketball coach, Tara VanDerveer, delivered a potent critique of the current women's March Madness format, advocating for a strategic reevaluation to align with the rapid growth and evolving dynamics of women's college basketball.
Speaking ahead of the Cardinal's clash on Friday with the NC State Wolfpack in the Portland 4 regional semifinal, VanDerveer, who became college basketball's winningest coach in January, shared her perspective on the tournament's transition to a two-regional site format introduced last season.
“I think personally it would be nice to be spreading this regional out,” VanDerveer said, per Alexa Philippou of ESPN. “I think that women's basketball, sometimes we make decisions, making them for two, three and four years out, then we're not in that same place. I think that four teams here would be great.”
This year is VanDerveer's first encounter with the format, which began in 2019, a departure from the previous structure that featured four regional sites, mirroring the men's tournament.
The shift to two regional sites, announced in 2019 before a significant surge in the sport's popularity, has drawn mixed reactions from the community. Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president for women’s basketball, indicated plans to review the championship format post-2025 tournament, with discussions potentially moving up to address the format changes sooner.
“That review would include the First Four, first and second rounds and also an evaluation of the two-site regional format,” Holzman said. “We want to look at the preliminary rounds of the championship, and with the growth we've had the last few years I think we should move up that review to start in 2024.”
VanDerveer's comments reflect a broader uncertainty within the sport about optimizing tournament structure for women's basketball's best interest.
“I don't know that we have it figured out yet, what is best for women's basketball,” VanDerveer said. “But when we figure it out now, it might be different in two or three years. I think that's a little bit of a dilemma. I think we have to decide for women's basketball are we going to keep playing home sites? Are we going to go to one site, go to Vegas? Are we going to go to four sites? Those are for the powers to be.”
VanDerveer wants to see units program for women's team
Meanwhile NC State coach Wes Moore weighed in on the importance of leveling the playing field with the current format, emphasizing the absence of home-court advantages in the current setup.
“I'm excited to be in Portland. I do like the fact that people don't have a home-court advantage,” he said. “We ran into that a couple of years ago. We were a double-overtime loss away from going to the Final Four. From that standpoint, I've noticed that Oregon State is in Albany. UConn is in Portland. I think they've made an effort to kind of even the playing surface.”
VanDerveer further advocated for the introduction of revenue-sharing units for women's programs, similar to the men's tournament, to incentivize and support the growth of women's basketball at the institutional level.
“I think that'd really show how far women's basketball has come,” VanDerveer said. “I'm someone that is in favor of that … I think we're right there. It's evidenced by the support in this room, the national coverage of women's basketball, the ratings on television.”
Moore agreed with the suggestion of women's programs getting awarded units.
“I think now with our new TV contract, the emphasis that ESPN has made on women's basketball, I think you're going to continue to see (the game) take leaps,” Moore said. “A lot of this is due to the talent. You've got some great players right now. Now you have it where people are going to see a particular player. That just tells you how far our game has come.
“I hate to admit it, the portal has probably caused for parity. Right now I think this thing's pretty wide open. I know South Carolina has definitely separated themselves during the regular season. But I do think there's a lot of parity in our game. I think that makes it exciting for people, as well.”
As women's basketball continues to capture national attention, with increased media coverage and TV ratings, the debate over the tournament format underscores a pivotal moment for the sport. The
The future of the tournament format remains a hot topic, with the next regional sites set for Spokane, Washington, and Birmingham, Alabama, in the upcoming year, followed by Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, California, in 2026.
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