SINGLE SITE MAY BE IN FUTURE
The NCAA used the singlesite concept for its marquee championship out of necessity.
Now it could become part of the tournament’s future.
A day after crowning a national champion for the first time since 2019, NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt told reporters that the successful men’s college basketball tournament held primarily in Indianapolis and exclusively in Indiana could create a late-round model for future tourneys.
“If it’s the desire of the committee and the membership to consider something along these lines for the future, I think we would give it significant consideration,” he said Tuesday on a video call. “I would hesitate to say, though, I don’t think a 68-team single site, short of another pandemic, would be something we would have great interest in. However, once you get down to a fewer amount of teams, say the Sweet 16 and on, having teams in the same location may provide some opportunities the membership, coaches and all would want to consider for the future.”
Whatever happens, it won’t be anytime soon — at least not by choice.
The NCAA already has awarded preliminary-round games through 2026 and intends to play those games as scheduled, something it couldn’t do this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic that forced everyone to rethink how they could safely host games a year after the tournament was scrapped.
And though the television ratings for the Final Four were down from 2019, according to Sports Business Journal, the UCLA-Gonzaga game drew nearly 15 million viewers and was not only the mostwatched program Saturday
night but also the most watched non-football game since the pandemic began.
Going pro
Illinois junior Ayo Dosunmu will declare for the 2021 NBA Draft and forgo his remaining college eligibility by hiring an agent, he announced on ESPN’s The Jump.
Dosunmu, the No. 22 prospect in the ESPN 100, was a consensus first team AllAmerican and the winner of the Bob Cousy Award, presented to the nation’s top point guard. Dosunmu, 21, averaged 20.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 39 percent from 3point range, leading Illinois to the Big Ten Conference Tournament title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
• Stanford point guard Kiana Williams is declaring herself eligible for the WNBA Draft. Williams, who captured the NCAA title in her hometown
of San Antonio, passed Candice Wiggins to become Stanford’s career 3-point leader and finished with 311. She led the Cardinal with 14.0 points per game, 3.1 assists and 82 3-pointers while playing a team-high 32.3 minutes.
Notable
Luka Garza of Iowa has won the John R. Wooden Award as the nation’s top men’s college basketball player. Garza led the nation in total points (747), 30-point games (eight) and field goals made (281).
• UCLA’s Jalen Hill said on Instagram that he is retiring from basketball, citing “anxiety and depression problems” that started after his arrest in China.
• San Jose State hired former Nebraska coach Tim Miles to take over the Spartans’ struggling program. Miles had a 187-202 record in five seasons at Colorado State
and seven at Nebraska and ended NCAA Tournament droughts at both those schools
• Villanova forward Cole Swider signed a financial aid agreement with Syracuse and will join the Orange program after three seasons with the Wildcats.
• Rasir Bolton, Iowa State’s leading scorer this past season, has entered the NCAA transfer portal and will be looking to play at his third school in four years.
• UConn sophomore guard Anna Makurat has decided to transfer.
• Vanderbilt fired women’s basketball coach Stephanie White after five seasons and a 46-83 record.
• UConn senior Isaiah Whaley, the Big East’s co-defensive player of the year, has decided to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility being offered to athletes by the NCAA and will return for a fifth year with the Huskies.