Postseason changes afoot
The NCAA women’s basketball committee is backing a move to play the Final Four two days earlier, starting next season.
The Final Four would go to a Friday-Sunday format instead of the Sunday-Tuesday configuration in place since 2003.
“It was a difficult decision for us,” said Carolayne Henry, chair of the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee and senior associate commissioner/senior woman administrator at the Mountain West Conference. “The atmosphere on the Final Four weekend is something we can continue to capitalize on. As we grow, we can look to see if we want to be a stand-alone entity. For now, we want to take advantage of the excitement around basketball that takes place on that weekend.”
The committee also decided Thursday that the top 16 seeds should host the first two rounds. The move would hopefully bolster attendance in the first two rounds, which has become stagnant over the past few years. Last season, the NCAA averaged 5,466 for all rounds — 17th since the tournament began in 1982.
“Growing the game and attendance is what we’re trying to do,” said associate commissioner of the Pac-12 Chris Dawson, who is on the women’s committee. “These moves will hopefully bolster that.”
The regionals, which are at host schools for this season’s tournament, will move to a neutral site and also move up the dates one day.
More college basketball
The Arizona women’s team lost senior forward Alli Gloyd for the season after she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during a scrimmage. … Stanford was picked by the Pac-12 women’s coaches to win the conference title again this season. … Jim Lewis has been hired as Georgetown’s interim women’s coach, replacing Keith Brown, who resigned after an investigation into players’ accusations of unprofessional conduct and inappropriate language. … Jannah Tucker, a 6-foot guard from Randallstown, Md., who signed with Tennessee last year but didn’t enroll because of personal reasons, said she plans to enter school in January. Tucker told Blue Star Media that she was a victim of domestic violence that included both verbal and physical abuse. … Gonzaga received eight of 10 first-place votes from coaches to win the men’s West Coast Conference title.
Golf
Luke Guthrie took only 19 putts in his round of 7-under 65, giving Americans the top three spots on the leader board in the BMW Masters in Shanghai. … Ryan Moore had 10 birdies in a 9-under 63 to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. … Defending champion Suzann Pettersen shot a 4-under 68 to take a three-stroke lead after the first round of the LPGA Taiwan Championship in Yangmei, Taiwan.
Tennis
Top-ranked Serena Williams advanced to the semifinals of the WTA Championships by sweeping Petra Kvitova, 6-2, 6-3, in Istanbul. Williams, the defending champion, won all three matches in her group without dropping a set. … Top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina eased past Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, 6-1, 6-2, to reach the quarterfinals of the Swiss Indoors in Basel, Switzerland. … American John Isner lost to Jeremy Chardy of France, 7-6 (7), 6-3, at the Valencia Open in Valencia, Spain.
Auto racing
NASCAR will require baseline concussion testing for its drivers starting next season. The baseline test will be compared with test results taken after a driver has crashed to help diagnose a concussion.
Elsewhere
Aledo school district officials cleared coach Tim Buchanan of bullying allegations after a 91-0 drubbing of Western Hills, a school in the Fort Worth, Texas, area. Aledo, 7-0 and Texas’ topranked Class 4A football team, has dominated its opponents, averaging 69.3 points per game while giving up 6.7. … Olympic champion swimmer Katie Ledecky won the U.S. Olympic Committee’s SportsWoman of the Year award.