SPOKANE, Wash. — It is the third year that UConn has come to the Pacific Northwest for the NCAA Tournament super regional, and the experience hasn’t gotten any more pleasant.
Ahead of Saturday’s Sweet 16 clash against No. 3 Oklahoma, Huskies coach Geno Auriemma once again railed on the two-site regional concept, a perennial source of frustration for him dating back to UConn’s trip to Seattle in 2023.
“Whoever came up with this super regional stuff — and I know who they are — ruined the game. They did. They ruined the game,” Auriemma said. “Half the country has no chance to get to a game in person. But you’re making billions off of TV. Well, actually you’re not, that would be the men’s tournament. So, yeah there’s a lot of issues that they need to fix.”
The NCAA switched from four regional sites to two in 2023 in response to declining crowd sizes. The crowds have since grown, but with more teams at fewer sites, some teams have complained about logistics like sharing court space, finding enough hotels and the travel schedule.
The Huskies had a one-hour practice at 8 a.m. Friday to accommodate the four Spokane 4 Regional teams who have to practice in the arena and an additional four Spokane 1 teams that need shootaround time before their games tonight. On…
