Some teams benefit from expanded field
Semrau, Florida State thankful for extra berths; Tillett, Longwood await historic opportunity
Florida State coach Sue Semrau always has been a fan of adding teams to the women’s NCAA Tournament. She is thrilled it happened this season, giving her late-developing Seminoles the opportunity to be a part of history.
Florida State (17-13) is one of the schools participating in the inaugural women’s First Four after the NCAA expanded the tournament field to 68 teams, one of the few tangible changes made to address inequities highlighted last year between the men’s and women’s tournaments.
The First Four has been a staple of the men’s NCAA tourney since 2011.
“Had it been 64, I would have been extremely nervous,” Semrau said of her program’s chances of reaching its ninth consecutive tournament.
Instead, she and the other three at-large First Four participants — Missouri State, DePaul and Dayton — and four automatic qualifiers in Longwood, Mount St. Mary’s, Howard and Incarnate Word will play tonight and
Thursday to advance into the first round.
That hasn’t always been the case for the women.
Disparities between the men’s and women’s tournaments were highlighted last year during the pandemic-altered events, leading the NCAA to make several changes. The enhancements for the women included hotel rooms, dining, training equipment and expanding the tournament field.
Semrau has worked on issues of equality in the college game for years and is gratified to see change.
“Why not?” the coach asked rhetorically about the women’s expanded field.
Unlike the men, who play all their First Four games in Dayton, Ohio, the four women’s games will be held at region sites where the winner’s first-round opponent will play.
For Florida State, that means a trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to take on Missouri State. Not that it mattered to the Seminoles, who seemed like a long-shot even to be playing in the NCAAs when they were 10-10 in early February. But they won seven of their last 10 to get in.
“Being one of those 68, it just means a lot to us and we know that we’re going to keep working,” FSU guard Morgan Jones said.
It also means a lot to Longwood.
Though the Lancers received an automatic bid after winning their first Big South Tournament, they are looking forward for the chance to make more history as one of the teams in the First Four field.
Longwood coach Rebecca Tillett, a former William & Mary player, said the town of Farmville gave her team a parade for winning the tournament.
“I can’t imagine what it would be” for an NCAA Tournament win, she chuckled during a phone interview.
Tillett has heard those who wonder if automatic qualifiers like Longwood should be part of the First Four.
“Those are good questions,” she said. “But we’re happy to be part of it against an evenly matched team.”
Incarnate Word coach Jeff Dow told his players after their First Four assignment came up on TV, “You realize we’re the first of the entire tournament?”
“They were excited about that,” Dow said.
A look at the First Four matchups: