Tournament staying in OKC through 2018-19

BIG 12 WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP NOTEBOOK WILL MEN’S GAME SWITCH TO FOUR QUARTERS?

The women’s Big 12 Tournament will remain in Oklahoma City through the 201819 season, a more long-term agreement that was designed to allow one site to build the tournament over time rather than having it bounce around from site to site.

The tournament was in Dallas last season. This is the fourth year that the tournament has been split from the men’s basketball conference tournament.

Monday’s championship game — won 79-63 by Baylor over Texas — drew 3,859 fans. Over the four-day tournament, 20,672 fans attended in total for a daily average of 5,168 fans. Two years ago in Oklahoma City, the four-day average was 4,822.

a Big 12 senior associate commissioner, said the goal is to get to a point where the women’s tournament is averaging 7-to-8,000 fans.

“We’ve really gotten a commitment from Oklahoma City,” Hancock said. “They are going to work hard to do some marketing stuff and sell some tickets. That’s going to take a few years.”

Baylor coach said the subject of how best to grow the tournament is brought up every spring when coaches meet, and that she isn’t sure what the right answer is.

“I’m for what is good for the league, and right now I don’t know what is good for the league,” Mulkey said. “I didn’t see attendance here today, you know, with no Oklahoma school here today, that probably hurt attendance. I don’t know. I don’t know the answer.”

Women’s college basketball this season has switched from two halves to a four-quarter format, a change that Hancock has been “universally applauded.”

“It’s been terrific,” Hancock said. “It adds excitement. Quite frankly — I may be wrong; we talked about this with John Underwood on the men’s side — I’d be real surprised if the men don’t ultimately end up going there.”

Women’s basketball also now allows teams to advance the ball to halfcourt during timeouts late in games and did away with one-and-one free throws.

“I just think those changes are more dynamic,” Hancock said. “We were, along with men’s collegiate basketball, the only two entities not playing four quarters in the world. Our coaches love it. Fans seem to love it.”

BAYLOR, TEXAS DOMINATE ALLTOURNEY TEAM

Baylor and Texas were the only teams represented on the All-Tournament Team.

Baylor’s and

were joined by Texas’ and made up the team, which is voted on by media members who covered the event.

Jones, a junior guard, scored 16 points to go with her eight assists in the title game and was named the All-Tournament Team’s Most Valuable Player.