SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Home sites -- a subject of discussion during this year's championships -- could be phased out in the future, though the women's game is years away from neutral sites.

Bernadette McGlade, chair of the NCAA's tournament committee, said the committee is considering having colleges bid in advance for sites for the championships. Though a college could be host for first- and second-round games regardless of seeding, it could only do so for two consecutive years.

The results of the opening two rounds opened eyes, with the top four teams in each region advancing to the regionals after playing two tournament games at home. Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw complained most publicly about the system after her team -- the No. 5 seed in the West -- lost at No. 4 seed Louisiana State in the second round.

McGlade said the new system, which will be voted on in August, is an intermediate step, though neutral sites are the ultimate goal.

"No one wants to give up home sites," McGlade said yesterday. "But the championships should be as equitable and fair as possible."

Rule book

Barbara Jacobs, the NCAA secretary-rules editor, downplayed the likelihood of the 10-second rule coming to women's college basketball.

Teams on offense have as much time as they wish to get the ball past half-court, though the 30-second shot clock goes into effect once they take possession.

Instead, Jacobs said issues that will discussed are the change of the penalty for a technical foul. While all technical fouls currently call for two shots and possession of the ball for the non-offending team, administrative technicals like delay of game would be punishable by one shot and no change of possession.

"[Ten-second rule] has been on the rules survey for the past three years," Jacobs said. "The stats on it are very much against it. Because of the 30-second shot clock, the comments we get are that the shot clock takes care of not being able to hold on to the ball."

Jacobs also said she was pleased with what she has seen since officials began calling more hand-checks, a point of emphasis in the off-season.

While it resulted in more fouls and seemingly interminable games that ran close to 2 1/2 hours, Jacobs said players and coaches adjusted to it and scoring increased, which was one of the motivations.

"There was a lot of controversy about the hand-check rule," Jacobs said. "But it did what we though it was supposed to do."

Player of the year

Stephanie White-McCarty, who led Purdue to last night's championship game, was awarded the Margaret Wade Trophy as the best player in women's basketball.

White-McCarty, a senior, kept Tennessee's Chamique Holdsclaw from picking up the only major award she has never won.

Future file

Twelve sites are in the running for the NCAA women's Final Four in 2003 and 2004: Boston; East Rutherford, N.J.; Greensboro, N.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; Atlanta; New Orleans; Memphis; Nashville, Tenn.; Sacramento, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; Detroit; and Birmingham, Ala.

Philadelphia plays host to the event next year, St. Louis in 2001 and San Antonio in 2002.

Pub Date: 3/29/99