NCAA To Expand 2022 Women’s Basketball Tournament To 68 Teams

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The NCAA Division I Council has approved the expansion of the Women’s Basketball Tournament bracket from 64 to 68 teams, effective with the 2022 championship.

Both the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee and the Division I Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee supported the expansion, which brings participation opportunities for the women’s tournament in line with the men’s event.

“This immediate expansion of the women’s basketball championship reinforces the fact that leaders within Division I are committed to strengthening aspects of the women’s basketball championship that directly impact student-athletes,” says Council chair Shane Lyons, athletics director at West Virginia. “We look forward to the positive change this will have for the student experience at the championship, especially as it relates to equal team opportunities to compete in the tournament.”

The decision follows a recommendation from a comprehensive external gender equity review of NCAA championships conducted by Kaplan Hecker & Fink. The first phase of the review examined historical inequities in college basketball and was spurred by issues that arose during the 2021 Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships.

“This was another important step in providing additional championship participation opportunities for women’s basketball student-athletes,” says Nina King, chair of the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee and director of athletics at Duke. “The committee was in support of implementing this as soon as possible and we’re pleased that the expanded championship field will be in play immediately for the upcoming championship and beyond.”

For only the 2022 championship, the four opening round games will be conducted on the campuses of teams seeded in the top 16. Sites will be selected based on bracketing principles and procedures. Beginning with the 2023 championship, the first four games will be conducted at a to-be-determined neutral site.

“The expanded bracket and championship opportunities for Division I women’s basketball student-athletes are paramount,” says Lisa Campos, chair of the Division I Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee and director of athletics at UTSA. “While the 2022 championship will be conducted at top-16 seed campus sites, this is a transition year for the tournament, and strong consideration will be given for other improvement areas, including opening-round games taking place at a predetermined site, in order to improve the championship experience in 2023 and beyond.”

The Division I Women’s Basketball Committee, which now consists of 12 members versus 10, also approved an updated Selection Principles and Procedures document for 2021-22.

The document references committee voting procedures to reflect the increase in members and the move to 36 at-large teams to accompany the 32 automatic qualifying teams that will make up the 2022 championship bracket, as well as updated bracketing principles language.

MTSU Secures $66 Million For Student-Athlete Performance Center, Floyd Stadium Upgrades

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MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. Photo: Kaitlyn Hungerford

Middle Tennessee State University has secured $66 million in funding to build a new student-athlete performance center as well as make upgrades to Floyd Stadium, as announced by University President Sidney A. McPhee on Monday (Nov. 15).

The new facility will be built on the site of the current weight and game day rooms adjacent to Murphy Center. The three-story structure will house training, strength and conditioning, and equipment centers. Football’s locker and meeting rooms and personnel offices will be moved from Murphy Center into the new facility.

“The importance of enhanced facilities became clear to me during the shifts in the national collegiate landscape prompted by the realignment of athletic conferences,” McPhee said. “The decision we made to remain with Conference USA aligns squarely with our desire to bring about meaningful change in our athletics campus.”

Design of the new facility will begin immediately, with project completion expected before the start of the 2024 Blue Raider football season. GMC+HOK, a team that helped build similar projects at Vanderbilt, Auburn, Georgia and other universities, will oversee design of the project.

McPhee also announced the launching of the “Build Blue” campaign on Monday. Trustees Board Chairman Steve Smith urged support of the Blue Raider Athletics Association’s Build Blue fundraising campaign which hopes to raise $15 million over five years for the project.

MTSU football head coach Rick Stockstill. Photo: Kaitlyn Hungerford

Football head coach Rick Stockstill and wife Sara donated $500,000 to the Build Blue campaign.

MTSU Director Athletics Chris Massaro announced a three-phase plan, with the Student-Athlete Performance Center (SAPC) being the first phase in the Blue Raider Athletics facilities investment.

Phase two of the plan would feature an upgraded and revitalized Murphy Center entrance, providing a grand, fan-friendly entrance, a large interior atrium and a ticket office. Internally, a state-of-the-art training and skill center for the men’s and women’s basketball programs, featuring a regulation 94-foot NCAA court, would also be constructed.

In phase three of the plan, a multipurpose indoor practice facility would be constructed to the east of the SAPC. The climate-controlled facility would provide all 17 Blue Raider athletic programs an indoor amenity to practice and train regardless of weather conditions.

“This is transformational for our department, for our University and for our community,” Massaro said. “We will be able to better develop our players, attract top-notch recruits, and make our student-athlete experience second to none. This will truly represent a turning point for Blue Raider football.”

To learn more about the Blue Raider Athletic Complex plans, see concept art, and make a donation, click here.

Vanderbilt Unveils Renderings Of Athletic Facilities Upgrades

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Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

Vanderbilt University has unveiled artists’ renderings for multiple historic projects and provided details and timelines for the Vandy United campaign.

Publicly announced in March, Vandy United is an unprecedented $300 million investment in athletics. The effort commits to enhancing the experience of every Vanderbilt student-athlete and to further strengthening bonds with alumni, fans and the Nashville community.

“Bold action requires inspiration and imagination, and I am pleased to see the spirit underlying Vandy United come to life in these renderings,” says Chancellor Daniel Diermeier. “Vanderbilt’s mission is to bring together talented people and provide them with the tools and supportive environment to grow and realize their potential over the course of a lifetime. This requires ongoing investments. As we take the next steps with Vandy United, these plans depict not just new buildings but this university’s enduring commitment to provide student-athletes with the space to excel and grow as members of one community.”

Vanderbilt will continue working with Populous to refine and finalize design for each project. This includes the ongoing exploration of options for enhancing Vanderbilt’s baseball facilities and tennis complex.

Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

Basketball Operations Center and North End Zone Stadium:

  • Located in current north end zone of Vanderbilt Stadium
  • Multi-floor building with two practice gyms spanning more than 90,000 square feet
  • New student-athlete locker rooms and lounges
  • New weight room
  • New athletic training facility
  • Premium hospitality areas
  • New video board to enhance football game day experience
  • New premium seating in addition to loge boxes for football game days
  • Visiting football locker room
  • New north concourse expansion connecting Vanderbilt Stadium’s east and west concourses
  • Convenient access to Memorial Gymnasium

Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

South End Zone Facility:

  • Replacing current south end zone seating bowl of Vanderbilt Stadium
  • Multi-floor building spanning more than 130,000 square feet
  • Football game day locker room
  • Student-athlete training table and dining facility, five times larger than current dining facility
  • New diverse premium seat offerings for football game days, including living room boxes, loge boxes, club seating, field-level seating, founders’ suites, club suites and open-air tailgate suites
  • Renovated concourse twice as large as current footprint, also doubling the number of concession stands with expanded offerings
  • New video board and stadium acoustics system

Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

Football Operations Center And Expanded McGugin Center:

  • Expanding current square footage of McGugin Center by more than 175%
  • New academic center doubling the size of current student-athlete academic center
  • Football locker room and lounge area
  • Football weight room
  • All-sports athletic training room to more than double in size
  • Hydrotherapy and recovery areas
  • Student-athlete nutrition stations
  • New sport science lab
  • Team meeting rooms
  • Coaches’ offices
  • New Olympic sports weight room featuring more than 150 percent more square footage than existing weight room
  • New Olympic sports locker rooms, with more than twice the space of current footprint

Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

Indoor Practice Facility:

  • Situated on footprint of current football practice field
  • More than 100,000 square feet
  • 120-yard artificial turf football field
  • Fully conditioned, which facilitates year-round training

In order to break ground in fall 2022, Vanderbilt is focused on several required preliminary steps, including the demolition of Parmer Field House in the north end zone and construction of a new utility plant that will supply power to the new buildings. These efforts will begin during the first quarter of 2022.

Belmont Names Local Newscaster Steve Layman As Lead Basketball Broadcaster

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Belmont University welcomes NewsChannel 5’s Steve Layman who will serve as the lead broadcaster for the university’s men’s basketball team. The hiring comes just four days after John Freeman announced he was leaving the Bruins broadcast.

“Steve Layman is a respected, award-winning broadcaster who will elevate our men’s basketball broadcasts and program visibility,” says Belmont Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Corley. “In his role as sports anchor at NewsChannel 5, Steve has earned a reputation as a versatile communicator and gifted storyteller. His play-by-play background and experience for the past decade covering Belmont men’s basketball will be tremendous assets.”

Layman will continue in his role as sports anchor at NewsChannel 5, the CBS affiliate in Nashville, who he’s been with since 2011. Laymen, a graduate of the University of Illinois, previously served as a play-by-play announcer for his alma mater athletics department on the Illini Sports Network and radio co-host of Sports Talk on WDWS-AM in Champaign, Illinois. He covered Illinois men’s basketball during its historic 2005 National Runner-Up season.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to call Belmont basketball games this winter,” says Layman. “There’s nothing like the thrill of calling a live sports event and college basketball is one of my first loves. To have the chance to live out those passions at a first-class university like Belmont is truly a blessing.

“I’ve watched with great admiration from just a few seats down press row over the last 11 seasons as Rick Byrd and now Casey Alexander have built one of the most successful programs in the country on the court with some of the brightest and most engaging student-athletes I’ve ever been around off the court,” he continues. “I’m humbled to have the chance to now be a part of this great program and can’t wait to get started.”

Layman hosts Sportsline on NewsChannel 5+ and has been a regular guest host on Nashville sports talk radio. He has been honored for best sportscast by the Associated Press and the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. He also received three OAB Awards for best sports special for his role as host and producer.

Layman will call his first Belmont game when the Bruins play Evansville on Saturday, Nov. 13. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. CT from the Curb Event Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, the ESPN app and the Bruin Sports Network.

MTSU To Stay In Conference USA After Invitation To Mid-American Conference

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After weeks of conference alignments and speculation, Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) President Sidney McPhee has announced the university will stay in Conference-USA after being invited to the Mid-American Conference.

Earlier this month, C-USA added Jacksonville State University, Liberty University, New Mexico State, and Sam Houston. Speculation was that MTSU and Western Kentucky would both join the MAC, shaking up the college athletic conference world even more.

“Over the past several weeks, as we have watched the landscape for Division I athletics evolve, MTSU has been proactive and diligent in evaluating our opportunities, always with the best interests of the University as the singular guiding principle,” says McPhee in a statement. “We greatly appreciate the interest other conferences have shown in our athletics program and in our university, as they are a testament to the overall excellence of our institution, both athletically and academically. However, after careful consideration and due diligence, I am pleased to reaffirm our commitment to Conference USA.

“With the addition of four new members, C-USA offers a strong footprint in the South and Southwest, providing opportunities to develop new regional rivalries, while staying connected to traditional opponents that our fans want,” McPhee continues. “Building on the conference’s storied history of success, I believe our continued affiliation offers our Blue Raider community the greatest opportunity for success and should enhance our fan engagement.”

The C-USA saw nine schools leave and join either the Sun Belt Conference or the AAC. The addition of Jacksonville, Liberty and others keeps the conference alive. Now with MTSU committed to staying, the conference currently has nine members and is expected to invite more schools in the near future.

“With the addition of four new institutions last week, Conference USA remains a great fit for Middle Tennessee,” says C-USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod in a statement. “We are very pleased that they have decided to reaffirm their commitment to C-USA as we continue to move forward as a conference. While several institutions have indicated interest in joining our league, we will use this time to be deliberate and strategic in exploring any potential additional expansion.”

John Freeman Leaves Nashville SC Radio, Belmont Broadcast For University Of Virginia

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John Freeman. Photo: Sam Simpkins

Broadcaster John Freeman is leaving his posts at Nashville SC and the Belmont Bruins to take the role as Director of Broadcasting at the University of Virginia.

Freeman has served as the radio play-by-play voice for NSC for two years and started out as the TV voice of the club in its final two seasons in the USL. This past summer, he was named the new lead broadcaster of the Belmont Bruins, taking over men’s basketball play-by-play from Kevin Ingram.

“I have cherished every moment broadcasting games for this club,” says Freeman in a statement to NSC fans via Twitter. “I won’t look back at calling NSC games as a part of my career. This has been part of my life. This club brings me so much joy, purpose, and room to grow. Most importantly, it has brought me so many wonderful people.”

Belmont University Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Corley also released a statement regarding Freeman’s announcement to leave Belmont.

“As someone who has worked closely with John for four years, I can speak firsthand to his passion for telling Nashville SC’s story,” says Wes Boling who serves as NSC’s radio color commentator. “We all heard his memorable calls, but few saw the rigorous preparation John poured into every match, from a midweek USL match against a reserve squad to the club’s long-awaited MLS debut.”

Boling continues: “He cared deeply about capturing every moment perfectly, and he cared even more about his colleagues in the booth and behind the scenes. I’ll miss working with John, who has been an integral part of my NSC experience. But I couldn’t be happier to see him seize an opportunity he richly deserves.”

A 2009 graduate of UVA, Freeman has called Virginia basketball games in the past, including men’s basketball games during the NCAA Tournament in 2019.

He has been honored four times for Best Sports Coverage in the State of Virginia by the Associated Press. He was also named top sports broadcaster by the Charlottesville Daily Progress.

College Corner: Music City Bowl, UT’s Brad Roll, MTSU Basketball Mask Requirements

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Tickets For The TransPerfect Music City Bowl On Sale Now

Tickets for the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl are on sale now. The postseason game will be hosted at Nissan Stadium between a team from the Southeastern Conference and the Big 10 on Dec. 30.

This is the first Music City Bowl since 2019 after last year’s game between Iowa and Missouri was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The bowl game has been hosted annually since 1998 in Nashville at Vanderbilt Stadium prior to the opening of Nissan Stadium.

The Music City Bowl has contributed $34 million in financial payouts to participating universities and has generated more than $290 million in economic impact for the Nashville community, according to the TransPerfect Music City Bowl website.

Since its inception, as many as 1,162,197 fans have attended the Music City Bowl and over 95 million people have tuned into to watch the game on TV.

 

Tennessee’s Brad Roll Donates $250,000 For Postgrad Endowment

Tennessee Assistant Director of Olympic Sports Performance Brad Roll is making a $250,000 donation to endow a postgraduate scholarship in UT’s Haslam College of Business. Coupled with a grant from the Haslam family that will match Roll’s donation, The Brad Roll Business Scholarship Endowment—established in memory of his mentor, Bob Slater—will grow to $500,000 by 2026.

“It’s been energizing to spend time around our teams,” says Roll. “They have an incredible drive to achieve excellence. I hope this gesture inspires them to continue winning in competition and in life.”

Roll, 63, has been a member of Tennessee’s Sports Performance staff since 2016. He trains the volleyball and men’s tennis programs while also serving as a performance analyst for all UT Olympic sports.

“UT recruits top student-athletes from all over the world,” says Dean of UT’s Haslam College of Business Stephen Mangum. “Offering scholarship opportunities to pursue graduate business degrees from Haslam is an investment that will benefit both the student-athletes and all Tennesseans. Coach Roll’s generous gift is an example of the great things that happen when athletics and academics work together to provide the best possible experience for today’s athletes and tomorrow’s business leaders.”

For over four decades, Roll has made an impact through sport by challenging athletes to pursue peak performance in competition. Now, through The Brad Roll Business Scholarship Endowment, Roll can challenge and inspire Tennessee student-athletes to continue their pursuit of excellence through postgraduate academic achievement.

 

 

MTSU Not Requiring Masks For Basketball Games At Murphy’s Center

Middle Tennessee State University is welcoming back fans at full capacity to Murphy Center for the 2021-22 basketball season.

This season, masks will not be required to be worn during games, but the university still strongly encourage its fans to do so when not actively eating or drinking. This does not apply to children under 2 years old and younger.

Last season, the Blue Raiders played in an empty Murphy Arena for the first two weeks of the season before opening up to fans at a limited capacity.

The Blue Raiders men’s and women’s basketball seasons both begin on Nov. 9 in Murfreesboro as the men face Brescia University at 5 p.m. and the women take on East Carolina at 7:30 p.m.

Vanderbilt’s Scotty Pippen Jr., Tennessee’s John Fulkerson Named First Team All-SEC

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Scotty Pippen Jr. and John Fulkerson. Photos: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics and University of Tennessee Athletics

Coaches from the Southeastern Conference have voted for the first team All-SEC, selecting Scotty Pippen Jr. from Vanderbilt and John Fulkerson from the University of Tennessee.

Pippen, a Junior, has already received multiple preseason honors, among them being named SEC Preseason Player of the Year and being named to the Bob Cousy Watch List. He ranked third in the SEC and ninth nationally with 142 made free throws last season, and second in the SEC with 1.77 steals per game. He shot 42.8% from the field overall, 35.8% from 3-point range and 85% from the free throw line, leading the team in scoring 13 times.

Fulkerson, a Senior, is entering his sixth season at Tennessee, after playing 132 career games as a Vol with 62 start—including 55 of his past 56 games. A 2020 All-SEC Second Team selection, Fulkerson has averaged a combined 11.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game during his two seasons as a full-time starter. Last season, Fulkerson led the Vols in field-goal percentage (.527) and was the team’s second-leading rebounder (5.5 rpg). His current .567 career field goal percentage is sixth in Tennessee program history. Fulkerson needs just 11 appearances to break UT’s all-time record for career games played and 125 points to reach the 1,000-point milestone for his career.

The Commodores and Volunteers face each other twice this year which will likely be highly competitive matchups. UT will visit Memorial Gym on Jan. 18, the second matchup will be on Feb. 12 at Thompson-Boling Arena.