NCAA's Baker to Auriemma: 'Hard to argue' against two-site format

"If you look at all the data, the ticket data, the attendance data, the viewership data, it's all gone up dramatically over the past few years. But it's pretty hard to argue when attendance is up, viewership is up, and ticket sales are up consistently year over year, that this formula isn't working."

"I understand the issue around the scheduling, and that's something I think the committee will take a very hard look at. The women's NCAA tournament moved from a four-site regional format to two sites in 2023."

NCAA president Charlie Baker responded to UConn coach Geno Auriemma's criticism of the two-site regional format, asserting that attendance, viewership, and ticket sales have significantly increased. Baker acknowledged scheduling issues raised by Auriemma but emphasized that the data supports the current format's effectiveness. The women's NCAA tournament transitioned to a two-site regional format in 2023, which is confirmed to continue for at least five more seasons. Auriemma has consistently voiced concerns about the format and its impact on the game.

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