The NCAA fixed its regional site issue!

I was all set to complain about how the NCAA chooses its regional sites.  This year, we had sites in Portland and Seattle, right next to each other.  Then we had Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Louisville in close proximity.  This led to severe under-representation in the south, and an unhealthy clumping in the bracket of top teams in the great lakes region.

So, naturally, I was ready to rant and pick apart the 2016 regional assignments, but...crap.  They figured it out.  Mostly, at least.  Your 8 sites:

Providence (northeast/New England area)
Brooklyn (northeast)
Raleigh (your standard North Carolina-based regional)
St Louis (midwest)
Des Moines (midwest)
Oklahoma City (midwest, leaning towards the south)
Denver (mountain time zone)
Spokane (northwest)

This is reasonably balanced.  I would probably prefer the Des Moines or St Louis site to be closer to Indiana or Ohio...and maybe a southern site near Georgia/Florida in place of one of the northeast sites.  But overall, this will serve the most teams well.  In particular, we've moved away from having 2/3 sites in short proximity.  Well, I guess St Louis and Des Moines are kinda close but they'll be serving different teams.

In an ideal world, my setup would go as follows:

1) a northeastern site (Providence, Hartford, Boston, New York, Syracuse, etc.)
2) a mid-eastern site (D.C., Baltimore, Philly, Richmond, etc.  Perhaps Pittsburgh or Cleveland, if the Great Lakes site is closer to Milwaukee)
3) a southeastern site (anywhere in Florida, anywhere in North Carolina.  In fact, alternate between the two states.  This might overlap with the mideastern site in #2, be careful)
4) a southern site (Knoxville, Birmingham, New Orleans, St Louis, Louisville, etc.)
5) a Great Lakes site (Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Columbus, etc)
6) a true midwestern site (Omaha, OKC, anywhere in Texas.  If you do choose Texas, make sure the southern site at #4 is closer to Knoxville or Louisville)
7 and 8) any two of the following:  a California site (LA, Oakland, San Diego), a mountain zone site (Albuquerque, Denver, SLC), and a northwest site (Seattle, Portland)

This would provide the greatest balance and serve the most teams.

We're actually in really good shape, because in 2017, these are the actual sites:
1) Buffalo (northeastern site)
2) Greensboro (your NC-based/mideast based regional)
3) Orlando (southeast site)
4) Indianapolis (great Lakes)
5) Milwaukee (midwestern, although trending northern)
6) Tulsa (another midwestern site, but more southern)
7) Salt Lake City
8) Sacramento

2017 actually follows my script well.

So the NCAA is slowly figuring out how to assign regionals with this whole pod system.  Good.