Empty Upper Tiers No Laughing Matter

Let’s see. Tennessee vs. Connecticut offered two true heavyweights, a terrific buildup, stirring drama and two first-team all-Americans. Notre Dame vs. George Washington featured two Cinderellas and the NCAA Tournament’s top pair of scorers. Old Dominion vs. Florida showcased four outstanding post players, the flashiest point guard this side of Magic Johnson and the return of one of the sport’s most tradition-laden programs. And Stanford-Georgia presented a Final Four rematch, the Olympic coach and a team on such a roll it almost is a privilege to watch it play.

Did anyone see any of it?

No, we are not talking about the TV audience for last weekend’s regionals. But anyone who watched the ESPN telecasts and noticed the empty end zones and vacant upper tiers knows where this is headed. We’re talking fannies in the seats.

Notre Dame and George Washington played before 2,678 in the East Regional final in Columbia, S.C. Old Dominion beat Florida in the Mideast in front of 2,742 in West Lafayette, Ind. Stanford-Georgia in the West drew the largest crowd, a stilldisappointing 5,975 in Missoula.

But the most shocking number of the weekend was 4,257 - the number of people who trudged into Iowa City’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena to watch Tennessee tackle Connecticut in the Midwest Regional final. These were the last two NCAA champions, the most accomplished program in women’s basketball history vs. a charismatic, unbeaten squad on a record fouryear run, playing in the arena of a Big Ten school that led the nation in attendance.

How strange it must have seemed for the participants, how incongruous given their individual history and shared rivalry. During the regular season, both Tennessee and UConn shattered the NCAA all-time women’s home attendance record, drawing an average of 10,500 and 10,474 fans, respectively. Their regular-season matchup packed 16,274 in a soldout Hartford Civic Center. And the NCAA, drawing deeply on its bottomless pit of perspicacity, consigned them to a regional final instead of allowing them the opportunity to earn the Final Four marquee they deserve.

Fine. And they get 4,257. Serves them right for rigging the bracket to avoid having the same Final Four field for a third straight year. Apologists will rationalize the Oscar telecast hurt attendance. Perhaps. But that does not explain the similarly poor attendance for Saturday’s slate of regional semifinal doubleheaders: East, 4,011; Mideast, 2,901; Midwest, 5,107; West, 6,333.

Before the tournament, selection committee chairperson Jean Lenti-Ponsetto said the NCAA probably was “four or five or six” years away from neutral sites for the subregionals as well. “We have to be realistic about what we can legitimately do,” Lenti-Ponsetto said.

OK, here is reality: The tournament needs to build crowds for its regional competition before it entertains taking the subregionals away from host teams such as UConn, which sold out Gampel Pavilion for its two nights and probably could have sold out the Hartford Civic Center as well. The bottom line is the sport has to deepen its national base and/or place teams closer to home because last weekend clearly proved local ties still bind.