By Mel Greenberg
A note from a Rutgers fan to the Guru on Thursday suggested the NCAA web site still has the old principles and procedures that would not allow two conference teams meeting each other until the Final Four if they were placed in the top four lines.
That jagged the Guru's memory of what he reported at the time of the change last summer along with first-round/second-round sites expanded back to 16 locations. And, believe it or not, as challenging as the Inquirer's archive system is, the story was found.
The only mistake the Guru made was in perceiving ALL the changes were effective next year. But the flex change actually went in play now, as we all have seen.
So here's "Exhibit A" reported on Sept. 22 for your entertainment from a print story that was not also reported on the blog. And the example used will have two all-caps deignation in the paragraph.
NCAA announces changes for tournament in 2009
By Mel Greenberg
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The NCAA women's basketball tournament is going back to the future in a move that may ultimately be seen as trading newer controversies for older ones.
The organization announced yesterday that, beginning with the 2009 tournament, the first two rounds will be played at 16 predetermined sites, instead of the eight-team pod system that's been in place since 2005.
The tournament committee also added some flex to its bracket placement procedures so that higher seeds from the same conference could meet each other in a geographic-friendly regional final. For example, Big East rivals RUTGERS and CONNECTICUT could meet in the 2009 regional final in Trenton. The change could also allow more teams in earlier rounds to play at sites closer to their fan bases.
Attendance and television ratings are the prime components driving the latest revisions. Last season, many teams that had no local interest at pod sites caused a TV eyesore, with vacant seats in large arenas in the early rounds.
-- Mel
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