Tomorrow begins the tournament, the first year of the "pod system" and its experiment with neutral sites.

Every year we hear complaints from teams who get shipped to play on someone else's home floor. Everyone agrees that a tournament with all neutral sites would be the most fair, but everyone agrees that women's basketball doesn't yet have the fan base to support neutral sites. Right now, we need home games to draw fans, and when one team has a home game, another has an away game. Someone gets screwed.

The pod system is a step toward neutrality. It's also a test.

Will fans in Minnesota show up to see USC and Louisville? Will fans in Storrs show up to see Temple and La Tech? Will fans in Maryland show up to see Penn State and Liberty?

If games like those draw reasonable and reasonably profitable crowds, it will be a sign to the NCAA that women's basketball is progressing toward the day when neutral sites are finally feasible. If they don't draw, it will be a sign that we still aren't ready, and we'll be stuck with home courts for awhile.

It's up to us. If you live within a reasonable driving distance of one of the pods, get your butt down to the stadium -- and show up for all the games, not just your own team's.

Why should you go when you've never seen the teams and can't name a single player? Because you're a basketball fan and this is March, goddammit! Pick a team and start cheering. If you're a good American, you'll pick the underdog and cheer your ass off.

And if you don't go, you forfeit your right to complain about how unfair it is that the tournament games aren't played at neutral sites. The next time your team gets shipped to someone else's floor and knocked out of the Dance, don't come cryin' to me.