No fans at NCAA men's or women's tournament [merged thread]

[Blueballer]

This sure is going to be strange.

 

[oldude]

#2 If the games do in fact end up being played with no spectators, will the loudest and most exuberant bench become the game's X factor?

You have clearly hit on something really important. The key to UConn’s efforts to win their 12th National Championship will be KYLA IRWIN’s return.

 

[TheFarmFan]

#1 is a knotty one. Perhaps some teams will announce their withdrawal prior to Monday? In which case their spot in the field is opened up to a less cautious institution? If they withrdaw after bracketing (and it's too late to re-bracket), then I'd think it's simply a forfeit situation?

#2: There will be a "limited family attendance," it appears. So bench plus a few dozen family members.

Re: #1, if more than one or two schools drops out, all others will follow, and it will be called off. The same considerations and protocols are in place across most administrations at most U.S. colleges, so some schools may decide faster than others, but they will coalesce around the same consensus in terms of legal liability, risk protocols, etc.

My over-under view on this is that by escalating to no fans first, NCAA eases the shock of cancelling or postponing. But I don't see how that isn't coming once one or several players get diagnosed, a coach or staff member gets diagnosed, etc. Once that happens, all the other dominoes start falling.

 

[wbball novice]

Has the NCAA figured out what to do if a player or a member of the team's support staff tests positive? Or a close family member?

 

[oldude]

Has the NCAA figured out what to do if a player or a member of the team's support staff tests positive? Or a close family member?

These are heady questions. If that were to happen, you would have to quarantine the entire team and staff, effectively eliminating them from the tournament.

 

[Biff]

It's not just the fan's what about the coaches. Geno isn't far behind me and with his surgery I bet he is in a compromised position as well.

Not to mention that, if you watch him in the post game pressers, he is the poster child of improper touching of the face (eyes, nose, mouth) with your hands. Assuming that is refelctive of this behavior in general, he's going to be very susceptible.

 

[SLY63]

This really makes things difficult for the NCAA. Now they need to find another reason (beyond geography) to send UConn out West. I feel for them

 

[BostonBay]

Hopefully, this puts UConn in Ft. Wayne as it should be. No one can dispute that UConn is the "best" 2-seed. Much easier path for UConn now. Odds of winning number 12 went up by about 50% according to my model.

 

[Biff]

Has the NCAA figured out what to do if a player or a member of the team's support staff tests positive? Or a close family member?

The family member at this time frame is not likely to be an issue since the players likely have had limited exposure to family recently, although it certainly is possible.

For team/support members, I would suspect that the probable reaction would be for that team to self quarantine and the team to forfeit.

 

[JavaMan]

You have clearly hit on something really important. The key to UConn’s efforts to win their 12th National Championship will be KYLA IRWIN’s return.

Just as long as she doesn't have to do the double high fives down the line after every 3!

 

[eebmg]

M

As John Wayne said to Margaret O’Hara in The Quiet Man, a 5 mile walk is just, “A good stretch of the legs.”

As John Wayne said to Margaret O’Hara in The Quiet Man, a 5 mile walk is just, “A good stretch of the legs.”

My cane does not agree

 

[oldude]

Just as long as she doesn't have to do the double high fives down the line after every 3!

Assuming she has a cast on, that could be dangerous for everyone else on the bench.

 

[domerduck]

Curious to see how big of a pain it is going to be to get a refund for my regional tickets.

They better give us our money back. I am bummed.

 

[OldAlum]

I just dont see this happening this way. If the virus keeps progressing, I doubt that you can justify moving all those teams to different areas. I still think a shortened tournament at one site is more possible.

 

[domerduck]

Hopefully, this puts UConn in Ft. Wayne as it should be. No one can dispute that UConn is the "best" 2-seed. Much easier path for UConn now. Odds of winning number 12 went up by about 50% according to my model.

Yes and sen Louisville to play Oregon like Walz wants.

 

[hoopsfan22]

One of two things will happen, either:

A. This country gets it act together and we can maybe eke out prevention and containment sufficient to run the tournament at all; or
B. In a week or so, portions of this country begin to look like Northern Italy, and in retrospect this will have been the first domino to fall on the way to cancelling the tournament altogether.

Unfortunately, based on the mitigation steps I'm seeing nationwide, I'd put more money on (B) than (A). The final four isn't until early April, and I have a hard time seeing things maintain or recover in time for it to go that far. If you get through the first weekend, maybe you can postpone the Sweet Sixteen to later in the spring, but even holding out for another 11 days may be a stretch at this point.

You can't postpone because of eligibility issues.

 

[Plebe]

Yes and sen Louisville to play Oregon like Walz wants.

For the record I am not of the "Fort Wayne or Bust" crowd, but I would sure love to see Walz shipped to Oregon as he practically begged the committee to do

 

[TheFarmFan]

You can't postpone because of eligibility issues.

In the grand scheme of things, the NCAA waiving eligibility issues is far and away the thing that's most in their control. If that's the only impediment to postponing, I would be shocked if they wouldn't do that.

 

[Lucelab113]

For the record I am not of the "Fort Wayne or Bust" crowd, but I would sure love to see Walz shipped to Oregon as he practically begged the committee to do

And then the next day he went and lost to Florida State lol. Maybe Brenda really was the brains behind the 2006 championship. Or maybe it was Gail G?

 

[Lucelab113]

I feel bad for the players and fans. Won't be the same for them. Probably has to be done though.

 

[bluedevil]

Just take the top 4 teams..play 2 consecutive days in Indiannoplis...and crown a champin.

 

[hoopsfan22]

In the grand scheme of things, the NCAA waiving eligibility issues is far and away the thing that's most in their control. If that's the only impediment to postponing, I would be shocked if they wouldn't do that.

They are not going to let "kids" who are no longer in school or have since turned pro play in the tournament.

 

[BostonBay]

Thats got be nerve-wracking as heck. Only playing in front of family members! With a big crowd, players have been taught to zone things out (or feed off the crowd energy).

 

[Plebe]

Just take the top 4 teams..play 2 consecutive days in Indiannoplis...and crown a champin.

Oh yeah, this forum will be loads of fun when they don't pick UConn

 

[hoopsfan22]

Just take the top 4 teams..play 2 consecutive days in Indiannoplis...and crown a champin.

What a way for us to lose our final four streak, but here's how it would play out: Oregon beats Baylor in the first semi-final, then South Carolina beats Maryland in the second game. For the national title, Oregon beats South Carolina.