After being canceled in 2020 and having all rounds hosted at single sites last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships returned to a more traditional experience this year, with games played in front of packed venues across the country.
March Madness was back in a big way.
NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt and Vice President of Women's Basketball Lynn Holzman joined NCAA correspondent Andy Katz on the most recent episode of theNCAA Social Seriesto discuss takeaways from this year's events and what's ahead for the future.
The 2022 Women's Final Four was played April 1-3 in Minneapolis, with South Carolina winning the national championship. Viewership and attendance were up across the board throughout all rounds of the tournament.
"It was a year of firsts, and it was historic in many ways for (the women's) championship," Holzman said. "It was the first year we had 68 teams. The first year we had a First Four. The first year we used March Madness. It was historic because we set broadcast viewership records throughout all rounds, including the Women's Final Four. We set attendance records at all rounds. We sold out again the Women's Final Four.
"The priority this year going into the championship was to enhance the student-athlete experience, and I think on that front we made tremendous strides. But we're not done as we look toward the future."
New Orleans hosted the Men's Final Four on April 2-4. The event returned to the Caesars Superdome, with more than 69,000 fans attending each game of the weekend. Kansas was crowned national champion after a thrilling final versus North Carolina.
"We talk about survive and advance during the NCAA tournaments. Last year was about survival. Just having championships in any way, single site, keep everybody safe and be successful. I think this year was about advancing," Gavitt said.
"Just the incredible relief and joy of having both championships be played in their normal format across the country: 21 sites for women's basketball, 14 sites for men's basketball. Incredible attendance. Incredible viewership. I think the whole country was so glad to have college basketball and March Madness back in the way we remembered it after three years."
Catch the full conversation on YouTube, or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or SoundCloud.