NATIONAL COLLEGE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION MEDIA CONFERENCE

March 13, 2005

Lynn Parkes

LYNN PARKES: Well, we really didn't consider that at all. We have a set of principles that drive our decisions in terms of seeding and bracketing. And that's what we used to make our decisions today.

LYNN PARKES: Well, they will not be playing each other and I think people are professionals and that's -- I think it will be handled in that manner.

LYNN PARKES: Let me answer your first question first. That has to do with Baylor, Michigan State, Stanford and North Carolina and you are accurate, as you look at the brackets, Michigan State would be the third number one and North Carolina would be the fourth. And then Baylor is the first number 2, Stanford is the second number 2. We spent a great deal of time talking about those particular four teams. And they're really very similar in many ways. When we finally came to a decision there was just not much that really separated them, other than the fact that Stanford and Baylor both had losses outside of the top 50. So we felt like that Michigan State, North Carolina, given the fact that they had both won their conference tournament, their regular season tournaments, and the fact of the success that they had had in the top 25, that they were worthy of those first two seeds.

LYNN PARKES: Well, we -- I don't think anybody in the country will deny the fact that we would all love to be in all neutral floors throughout the tournament. But that's just not where we are in the game right now. We have moved somewhat in that direction by going to eight teams at one site. It will provide us opportunities for more neutral games, but we're not truly at neutral sites at this point and as long as we have host institutions we will have some teams that will have to play teams on their home floors. So we do have a few of those situations and as the game grows I think we'll see a point where we may not face those decisions.

LYNN PARKES: We had the ability to have updates through the weekend and we have at your fingertips from the very start having to do with injuries to players. So, yes, to answer your question directly, we did have that information, and we knew that that was an issue.

LYNN PARKES: Well, we don't use the polls, in any form fashion in our ranking or seeding or placing teams in the bracket. We have the opportunity to watch probably 1500 games as a committee throughout the year and we have access to just a wealth of information. And there are times that there's just not very much that separates teams. But we have to come to a decision and our decision was that North Carolina and Michigan were the No. 1 seeds.

LYNN PARKES: Well, I think that I'm not sure that I could tell you exactly when they got in. But I will tell you that Oklahoma played an awfully good schedule. They had a couple of Top-25 wins. I think they beat Kansas State, they beat Utah. And we felt like that they were certainly a good team. And I wouldn't say that they were anywhere near the latter part of a group of teams that were placed in the brackets.

LYNN PARKES: Well, those were two teams that we did have a good bit of discussion about. But if you look, Purdue has beaten Iowa, and we felt like that there was a good deal of value in the Penn State win. They also had some wins or had a win against DePaul. That was also a tournament team. So we felt like that after we had assessed all the information that Purdue was the one that we gave the nod to.

LYNN PARKES: I don't know that I could say that. I'm not sure I could tell you exactly who the last selection was to be honest with you. There probably were 10 to 12 teams that we looked at when we had anywhere from five to seven slots remaining. And over the course of two days we went back and reviewed that time and time again. So I honestly couldn't tell you who the last team was.

LYNN PARKES: Well, I honestly, there, as I said, there were a group of about seven or eight teams, maybe as many as ten, that we were looking at for maybe as few as five, four to five slots. And we went back and forth over the course of a couple of days on that. So I honestly couldn't say which team was the last one to get in the bracket.

LYNN PARKES: Well, we looked at Virginia Tech, they had three wins against top at that teams. And they had two wins against teams that were 25 to 50. And they finished 7th in the league that was rated No. 1 overall. And we felt like that that was very credible. And that they were worthy of the bid.

LYNN PARKES: Yeah, we really do try to avoid that. And there are times that we're just simply tied because of the number of teams that we have from a particular conference and our principles won't allow us to move them in other places without causing additional problems. So although it would be our preference that they not meet, there are times that we just simply can't make it happen. Actually, I will say this, we did try to make those moves.

LYNN PARKES: We actually tried to avoid that match up. And we just, we simply couldn't make the move.

LYNN PARKES: Well, there again, we don't really use national polls as a guiding force for us at all. I think Wisconsin Green Bay is a very good basketball team. They're one that is a little bit hard for the committee to get their arms around in terms of seeding, because of the, because of their schedule, their non-conference schedule, they really haven't played a great number of teams in that 21 to 25 or 25 to 50 range. So sometimes it just comes down to a matter of having the opportunity to see the team and make an evaluation as to where they might need to be seeded in the bracket.

LYNN PARKES: Well, let me preface that by saying that we really don't keep a tally, so to speak, of how many teams we have from a particular conference. We look at the teams themselves, who they played, and what success they have had throughout the year. Now obviously because of the strength of the teams in that particular conference they have an opportunity to play more often against Top-25 and top 50 teams. So that's certainly a benefit for them. But in terms of us strictly trying to put teams in based on what their conference ranking is, we just simply don't do that.

LYNN PARKES: Well, we put teams in the bracket and then the higher seeded teams are put in in locations based geographically as it relates to their seed. And then the teams in the middle to lower part of the bracket will fall, depending upon how they were seeded. I'm sure it does look a little strange to see two teams that close, you know, to be playing a thousand miles away, but that's just simply where the seeds fell. But please understand that we really tried to protect the seed order. We don't -- well, we're very protective of trying to move teams around very far from their natural seed.

LYNN PARKES: Well, let me say this, the integrity of the bracket is one of the strongest principles that drives what we do. And when we seeded the first four teams, the No. 1 seed, we strongly felt that Baylor had earned the right to play the number 4, No. 1. And that was Tennessee. So it became incumbent upon us to put them in that position and which means that they would be in the Tennessee regional.

LYNN PARKES: Yes.

LYNN PARKES: I would have to take a look at it. Well, our preference is to try to keep teams from moving across multiple time zones. And just in terms of -- I guess is your question how they ended up in Seattle?

LYNN PARKES: Well, some of the sites are determined because of who is hosting. And I think that we have to have some consideration of that. Certainly attendance is something that we take a look at and the length of travel and there are times that we make some decisions based on that. But overall we try to be as fair to the teams and protect their seed order as much as possible.

LYNN PARKES: Well, I think that would be fair to say, yes.

LYNN PARKES: I don't remember any discussion as far as Connecticut going to Tempe.

LYNN PARKES: Oh, Stanford.

LYNN PARKES: We did look at that. And we really felt like that in fairness to Baylor, we actually took, tried to take a look at because they were the No. 1, No. 2, where the easiest travel would be, given the constraints that we had. There is a direct flight that they can take into Seattle as opposed to Fresno and we felt that that was the probably the easiest travel for them.

LYNN PARKES: Well, in terms of Villanova, they were certainly part of that group that I've spoken to earlier that were discussed and rehashed over and over and over again. Villanova did have one or two wins in the Top-25, but they also had two losses that were above 100. And when you're trying to separate teams, actually, I think it was three losses above 100. When you're trying to separate the teams, those things can be a factor.

LYNN PARKES: Honestly, I think there were lot of teams that I think probably in some years, and I've given and given the same situation they are in now, probably would have been a three or a four. But you think that speaks to the level of women's basketball and how much better it is right now. Temple has one win against Rutgers, in the Top-25, and they're a very good basketball team. They have probably played a few more games in the 150 to 320 or so range. Some of the other teams that were seeded above them have probably played a little bit stronger schedule, had the opportunity for more wins in that 1 to 50 range, so that that probably was a bit of an issue.

LYNN PARKES: Well, if I'm not mistaken, Boston College advanced to the semi-finals of the Big East.

LYNN PARKES: Oh, did they? I'm sorry. Let me take a look here. We have looked at a lot of team sheets through the weekend. I really think that the thing that I could see right now is the losses outside the 100 to 200 range that Villanova faced. And Boston College, as you said, had the win over Connecticut. So somewhat similar in some ways.

LYNN PARKES: Well, one of the things that I will tell you, we also have the ability to look at the schedules within conferences and some teams within conferences have a bit of an easier schedule than others. And that was the case with Boston College and Villanova.

LYNN PARKES: Well, I'll tell you, Gonzaga was another one of those teams that we really struggled with. And they have had an absolutely wonderful year. And they're a good basketball team. Not having played but three teams in the Top-50 made it a bit difficult for us to assess exactly where they should fit. And when we're comparing them with teams that have the opportunity to play or had the opportunity to play as many as eight to ten in some cases fifteen times, I think the strength of schedule was a factor with Gonzaga.

LYNN PARKES: Well, we did have some different challenges than we faced in the past, simply because this is our first year for the eight teams at one site and it was a little bit of a different process for us. Actually, I thought that it went fairly smoothly. Thank goodness for technology today, because that part was certainly made easier for us. The one thing that is a little different for us than for the men is that in our case if a team is hosting, they're guaranteed to be in that, at that site. And we actually had a dual host in Texas and Texas Tech. So our hands were a bit tied with another Big-12 team going to Dallas. So that was a little different for us.

LYNN PARKES: Yes.

LYNN PARKES: Yes. Yes, they would have been a final No. 3.

LYNN PARKES: I think that the fact that Minnesota got to the finals of the Big-10 Championship was certainly a good indicator for us. Minnesota only had one loss outside the Top-25. Which is indicative to me that they're a great basketball team. And that loss was to Washington, which is not a bad team themselves. So we just, we felt like that they were very gifted, that they had played really an incredibly strong schedule and had actually played a tough schedule down the stretch and had success.

LYNN PARKES: Iowa did not have any wins at all outside the Top-25. And they only had three wins in the Top-50. Things like that, when you're looking at trying to make selections will make a difference. And if you look at, I know one of the questions came up earlier about Purdue and Purdue had beaten Iowa head to head. Iowa struggled just a little bit down the stretch. Now, given -- I understand they were playing in the Big-10. But all of those issues factor in to a decision.

LYNN PARKES: Iowa State is another good basketball team. I'm trying to pull a sheet up here so I can give you a little more information. Obviously the Big-12 is a great conference. Iowa State did lose to Nebraska. That was one issue. That was their loss outside of the Top-50. And in some cases that's enough to give us some separation from other teams that we're looking at along that same line. They also lost to Iowa.

LYNN PARKES: That's okay.

LYNN PARKES: LSU was the No. 1, No. 1. And Tennessee, Michigan State and North Carolina.

LYNN PARKES: Well, we would love to have institutions not have to play on home floors, but that's not where we are in the game. And we really want to try to protect our top teams as much as possible, but there was going to be a No. 2 that was going to play in Maryland. And that's where the seed order fell in -- we do everything we can to protect the integrity of the bracket. And we just followed what the seed or where they fell in the bracket.

LYNN PARKES: Well, Villanova is one of those teams we would have loved to have had another couple of spots to put teams into the tournament. They're a great basketball team. And they're incredibly well coached. But there comes a point that you have to find some separation and that's what we did with Villanova. To address your question directly on the RPI, we don't look specifically at that, but all the components of the things that we're using to assess teams are built into the RPI. That's -- the RPI for us is almost a compilation of those, the areas that we're looking at.

LYNN PARKES: One thing that you might note is that Villanova in their last ten games lost to Georgetown, and there's also a loss there, actually there are three losses there, there is one to Seton Hall, and there's one to Syracuse. And Purdue does not have any bad losses.

LYNN PARKES: Okay, I'll answer them in the order that you asked them. We had a bit of a discussion about Tennessee and LSU, but if you look at their entire season, they actually split. Tennessee won one, LSU won one. They both played tremendous schedules. They play a No. 1 and a No. 2 ranked schedule in the country. We just, at the end of the day, we just felt like that LSU had fewer losses than Tennessee did given the fact that they have both played similar schedules, we felt like the nod therefore went to LSU. To answer your question about UT-Chattanooga, yes, we did consider that. UT-Chattanooga is a very good basketball team. And I know that they had a tough loss in the conference tournament, but, yes, we did give consideration to UT-Chattanooga.

LYNN PARKES: No, UT-Chattanooga is another one of those that has not played very many teams outside the top 100. As a matter of fact, they have only played two teams outside the top 100. They lost to Tennessee and they lost to Auburn. So they, it makes it a bit difficult to assess a schedule like that. And this is one time I think strength of schedule probably was a definite factor.

LYNN PARKES: I don't know that I would say the Big East was down this year. I think there's more parity in the game and there are just a lot more good basketball teams than there have been in the past.

LYNN PARKES: That's just the way that it broke. There again, I go back to my comment, we really tried to protect the natural seed order that teams fall into the tournament. And certainly we try to avoid moving teams multiple time zones, but there are times that our hands are just tied and what additional moves we can make. We adhere very closely to the principles that have been established that guide us in putting the bracket together. And we just don't deviate from those.

LYNN PARKES: Well, we don't look at the rankings that most people see in the newspapers or on the Internet. We have provided to us an assessment that is our RPI. And it takes into consideration strength of schedule, number of wins, so on and so forth. And when I refer to a No. 1 or a No. 2 ranked team, that's what I'm talking about.

LYNN PARKES: Well, I think you're looking at the entire body of work through the whole year. I had the chance to see DePaul several times throughout the year. And they're a great basketball team. They had one Top-25 win. And they actually played three teams in the Top-25, two of those being TCU. So when you look at Penn State, their competition in the Big-10, they had more opportunities to play that 1 to 25. So I think Penn State had a bit of advantage in terms of the schedule, and at the end of the season, when you sit down to assess two particular teams, those sorts of things can end up making a difference.

LYNN PARKES: Well, I have been on the committee, this is my fifth year, and without question this was the toughest process that we had, just in identifying the No. 1 seeds. Because of that, that difficulty spilled over into the No. 2 seeds. As I said, we felt like LSU and Tennessee had separated themselves from the others a bit. And then we really looked very strongly at Michigan State, North Carolina, Baylor, Stanford, and actually Duke and Ohio State to some degree. There is so very little that separates those programs, truthfully, there was discussion in the room that it's a shame that any one of those first six teams would not have the opportunity to be a No. 1. Because we felt like that they were all worthy of it.

LYNN PARKES: Well, in the case of Baylor and Stanford they each had losses outside of the Top-50. They each had a number of wins in the 1 to 25 -- Stanford was 5-1 against the Top-25. Baylor was 7-2 against the Top-25. Michigan State 8-3. And North Carolina was 9-3. In other words, it's a small a difference as that is, it can make a difference when you're trying to find separation.

LYNN PARKES: I really believe that the Pac-10 as a conference made a commitment to increase their non-conference schedules. And I think you're seeing the results of that. They have gone out and scheduled what they expect to be other Top-25 teams in their preseason schedule. And they're reaping the benefits of that.