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These mock sessions are nothing new. Both the Division I men's and women's basketball staffs began conducting similar exercises in 2007 with members of the national print and electronic media. The sessions were created with the goal of making the selection process more transparent, so media members would have a better idea of what went on behind closed doors before the actual brackets were announced.

This specific endeavor, however, marked the first time the mock committee consisted entirely of coaches and Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) administrators. Among the attendees were University of Connecticut Head Coach Geno Auriemma, University of Oklahoma Head Coach Sherri Coale, University of North Carolina Head Coach Sylvia Hatchell, and WBCA Chief Executive Officer Beth Bass.

The mock committee had access to all the tools the actual selection committee uses to create the bracket, including "nitty-gritty" reports, game results, and RPI rankings. Jane Meyer, incoming chair of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee and Senior Associate Director of Athletics at the University of Iowa, believes coaches who attended the mock process came away with a new appreciation for the actual committee members.

"This exercise shows them that selection is based upon an extensive array of factors, and the committee has much data at its disposal as part of the decision-making process," Meyer told The NCAA News. "The process has many layers, but in the end, it identifies those teams deserving to be included in the field of 64."

Coaches at the session were asked to base their discussions on the results of the 2008-09 regular season and 2009 conference tournaments. This brought about an additional challenge, since the coaches already knew how the 2009 NCAA Tournament played out. One important aspect coaches learned about at the session was that selection comes down to how a team performed on the court that season, not conference affiliation or tradition.

"I never understood the tedious task that the committee has," Old Dominion University Head Coach Wendy Larry told The NCAA News. "They say coaches have to juggle a lot of things, but it is unbelievable how many things this committee is using. The opportunity to lock our arms around this whole thing has been pretty awesome."

Auriemma, whose Huskies won the national championship this past year, also enjoyed his experience.

"It was a way to really educate myself, and in turn, I hope, to educate others," he told The NCAA News. "You often hear how difficult this process is and how challenging it is to put together the NCAA tournament bracket. But until you actually experience it, you have no idea how incredibly difficult this is."

Mike Phelps is an Assistant Editor at Athletic Management.