Today wraps up the Big Ten women’s basketball tournament. Fifth-seeded Ohio State, who got hot at the end of the season, earned their way to the finals against No. 2 Penn State. The Buckeyes played strong and sealed the deal in the second half, topping the Nittany Lions 84-70.
After the Big Ten Network broadcast the first nine games, ESPN2 came in for the finals Sunday. Pam Ward is doing the play-by-play with the ever-versatile Stephanie White alongside. (White is also the BTN’s top analyst and an assistant coach for the Indiana Fever.)
The popularity still isn’t there for women’s basketball. Conseco Fieldhouse will look completely different both behind the scenes and in the stands from day one next Thursday for the men’s tournament. The amount of media here is surprisingly small for a championship game. Just one local television reporter, presumably here to see Ben Davis product Alex Bentley on Penn State. I guarantee there will be double the media for the first game of the men’s tournament than the final women’s game. A majority of the seats are occupied by Big Ten or Conseco staff. For the women’s tournament there is just one row on the east side of the court and two on the west side; that will double next week.
With women’s basketball, there are plenty of passionate fans and that’s it. Few casual sports fans. The same fans, parents and staff sit in the same seat at every game. They aren’t afraid to hassle the referees…you’d think the refs never got a call right. I didn’t have a preference for who wins this game but because Ohio State’s fans have been in my ear all tournament long—go Penn State. For the entire tournament, attendance was 30,957—just over 6,000 for Sunday.
The city of Indianapolis has obviously given away tickets to some local schools or YMCA organizations because there have been roughly 50 kids around ten years old at the games.
One complaint I did hear from fans behind me was a lack of statistics posted. Conseco Fieldhouse does have points, rebounds, assists and fouls for players on the court post, but multiple fans were interested in shooting, three-point and free throw percentage and turnovers. The Fieldhouse did install a monitor banner that wraps around the entire arena between the club and balcony levels. During Pacers games, other statistics are shown up there as well as advertisements. The Big Ten conference has opted for advertisements only so that’s on them.
Being the championship game, there were formal introductions before the tip with the lights turned out and a video of what led to this championship game.
For the food enthusiasts, nothing special for championship day. Salad, green beans, scalloped potatoes, breadsticks and chicken parmesan that lacked cheese.
Both of these teams are tournament bound, there’s no question. Despite the outcome of today’s game, each hopes to return to Indianapolis and Conseco Fieldhouse in four weeks, for the Final Four.
I had an enjoyable time working and covering the games. Next week will heat up with men’s tournament coming. The ladies get it started and the gentleman put on the finishing touches before the NCAA tournament. I’ll be back to Conseco Tuesday for the Pacers game against the 76ers and then it’s on to the next.