The NCAA women’s basketball tournament is getting a facelift in 2023.
On Friday, the governing body announced the upcoming tournament will shift from a four-host format to a two-host format during the regional rounds (Sweet Sixteen and Elite 8).
Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina will host eight teams, and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle will host the other eight.
There are a couple of obvious things to note here:
- One of the host sites being in South Carolina is at least a little bit of an advantage for Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks, though the defending national champions likely won’t need that advantage if they’re as good as advertised.
- With only two sites, there are going to be fans of schools who will have to really do some traveling to support their team.
The NCAA has announced that the women’s bracket will be revealed on Selection Sunday (March 12) on ESPN. Also, the 2023 regionals will move to a two-host format, with eight teams at both Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle
— ESPN Women's Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) August 5, 2022
The updated postseason structure comes on the heels of the WNBA’s postseason restructuring.
In the coming weeks, the W will begin its 2022 playoffs with eight teams competing in four opening round, best-of-three series’ — a welcomed addition and significant change from the former setup.
For more on the countdown to the WNBA postseason. read here.
