Connecticut’s visit to Chattanooga on Monday night exemplifies one of the major differences between women’s basketball and the men’s game — women’s mid-majors are much more likely to host big-name programs every now and then.
An examination of schedules this season shows there are about 2 1/2 times more instances in women’s basketball than in men’s of a Power Five school playing a true road game against a team that isn’t part of the Power Five, the Big East or the American Athletic Conference.
“On the men’s side, you’re just dealing with so much more money,” South Dakota State coach Aaron Johnston said. “Those men’s teams are making so much more money from any of their home games, so the finances just don’t work out for mid-majors. On the women’s side, there’s not the same revenue generation for some of those power conferences with home games.
“There are a few teams out there that can pay some bills with their home games, but there are quite a few that quite honestly just don’t draw enough to warrant playing all of their nonconference games at home, so I think some of them are willing to go on the road.”
Over the last two weeks, South Dakota State split home games with Arkansas and No. 3 Notre Dame while No. 22 Louisville lost at Western Kentucky. The pattern continues Monday when top-ranked Connecticut visits Chattanooga, which upset Top 10 opponents Tennessee and Stanford at home last season. Although Connecticut technically isn’t a Power Five school, it’s the three-time defending national champion.
Middle Tennessee, a Conference USA school, hosts No. 12 Kentucky on Dec. 13 after already playing home games with Virginia and Mississippi this season. Middle Tennessee athletic director Chris Massaro said it’s easier for mid-majors to schedule home games with major-conference foes in women’s basketball.
“I think the main reason is I think there’s more of a collective will of the coaches to grow the game,” Massaro said.
Connections have played a role in arranging some of these matchups.
