Yikes! Ivy League cancels hoop tourneys...men and women

[Blakeon18]

Regular season champs to get auto bids.

Ivy League Cancels Conference Tournament amid Coronavirus; Yale Gets NCAA Bid

Amid concerns about the coronavirus outbreak, the Ivy League has canceled its men's and women's basketball tournaments...

bleacherreport.com

 

[UcMiami]

There tournament is only 4 years old so it doesn't have quite the institutional momentum of others. Wonder how the B12 will handle theirs which is due to start Thurs in KC

 

[MilfordHusky]

I have read that some of the schools have shifted to online teaching for the near term. I have to think that dorms are not good places to be,

 

[Blakeon18]

Sure hope this is premature or just plain wrong: I think there is a realisitic possibility
that the NCAA hoop tournaments will be adversely affected....i.e. games with no fans just
necessary folks....or worse even just cancelled.

 

[j66kicker]

Sure hope this is premature or just plain wrong: I think there is a realisitic possibility
that the NCAA hoop tournaments will be adversely affected....i.e. games with no fans just
necessary folks....or worse even just cancelled.

I’m starting to think that’s a realistic possibility too. Here in AZ we haven’t had much of a scare yet (6 reported cases so far). But yesterday they canceled a big book festival in Tuscon scheduled for next weekend - usually draws around 200,000. Sounded like they were going to go ahead with it, but had over 100 authors cancel their appearances.

 

[eebmg]

I suppose the WNBA will follow suit but who would notice?

 

[Geew1992]

The Connecticut just canceled the high school state tournament. Sorry but this is ridiculous!

 

[Topsail]

My daughter s friend at Harvard was just told to not to return to Harvard after spring break. Classes will be online.

 

[oldude]

Also, the Ivy tournament only involves the top 4 teams.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I’m starting to think that’s a realistic possibility too. Here in AZ we haven’t had much of a scare (yet - I think 1 reported case). But yesterday they canceled a big book festival in Tuscon scheduled for next weekend - usually draws around 200,000. Sounded like they were going to go ahead with it, but had over 100 authors cancel their appearances.

The cancellation of the Festival of Books is a real shocker. So is the Ivy League Tournament. The NCAA tourney may collapse if teams refuse to participate.

By the way, I went to a Rolling Stones tribute last night, part of the Gaslight Monday Night Concert Series I mention at times, and the theater was packed as usual, although a bit more hand washing than usual.

 

[Dokey]

I suppose the WNBA will follow suit but who would notice?

Well, since there is no WNBA team in Colorado, I only watch with my season tv pass, so I’m good. Besides it would keep me quarantined at home for a few hours...

 

[MSGRET]

I suppose the WNBA will follow suit but who would notice?

Since the WNBA Season starts in late April or early May the virus should be at its end of its cycle. With the warmer weather the virus will die out just like the flu season does.

 

[mbr33ct]

Not to change the subject, was looking at live cams from Italy, link below, to see Venice, Florence, Rome and other major cities with very minimal people walking where normally there are thousands of tourists/locals is hard to watch.

Live Cams in Italy

Live Cams in Italy, Live Cams in Abruzzo, Live Cams in Aosta Valley, Live Cams in Apulia, Live Cams in Basilicata, Live Cams in Calabria, Live Cams in Campania, Live Cams in Emilia-Romagna, Live Cams in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Live Cams in Lazio, Live Cams in Liguria, Live Cams in Lombardy, Live...

www.skylinewebcams.com

 

[oldude]

Since the WNBA Season starts in late April or early May the virus should be at its end of its cycle. With the warmer weather the virus will die out just like the flu season does.

Right now that is the hope, but every virus behaves a little differently.

 

[soxfan23]

Wow, I would hate to think the countless wealthy donors that make up the endowments at these Ivy League schools had anything to do with this decision, but the cynic in me thinks otherwise.

 

[soxfan23]

The cancellation of the Festival of Books is a real shocker. So is the Ivy League Tournament. The NCAA tourney may collapse if teams refuse to participate.

By the way, I went to a Rolling Stones tribute last night, part of the Gaslight Monday Night Concert Series I mention at times, and the theater was packed as usual, although a bit more hand washing than usual.

With all due respect to the book fair and the Ivy League tournament, the NCAA tournament generates a couple dollars more than either of these events.

 

[wbball novice]

I thought this was a helpful explanation of the rationale behind canceling large events in the wake of covid-19:

How canceled events and self-quarantines save lives, in one chart

 

[willtalk]

Makes no difference because Princeton was just going to waltz through their playoffs.

 

[oldude]

Makes no difference because Princeton was just going to waltz through their playoffs.

On the womens side that’s probably true, but in the mens side Yale, who won the regular season, has 3 conference losses and a number of close games. Penn, Princeton & Harvard all had a shot at the AQ.

 

[Jim]

"Everything we do before a pandemic will seem alarmist. Everything we do after a pandemic will seem inadequate." 2007, Secretary Mike Leavitt, US Department of Health and Human Services.

 

[FanHam]

I'll be VERY surprised if either the men's or women's NCAA Championship Tournament takes place this year.

Given that the virus seems much less virulent in young people than in the enfeebled elderly, I see a possibility of a crowdless "jamboree" type of tournament which would kill in the ratings (ahem, no pun intended), but I do not see the NCAA filling arenas around the country at this point in the pandemic.

Bummer.

 

[ocoandasoc]

At the rate the virus is spreading and the level of panic/concern in many states, we may see the Tourney cancelled or the games played mostly in empty gyms.

County regulations that were just announced will probably prevent Stanford from hosting. There are 15 other first round sites and I think its likely that the state of emergencies and local/state health officials will have a say on what is allowed. And this is moving so fast that just trying to move sites probably won't work.

ESPN needs to step up. They will be televising every game of the womens tourney and could do it even if the gyms were empty. They could make the whole tourney like the NIT using available sites -- higher seed is the home team. They should be working on this right now. The men's tourney could be handled the same way by the broadcast networks.

Sure, it will be a shame for seniors on good teams to be denied the chance to compete for a championship. And for fans to miss seeing their favorite players perform. But, jeez, saving lives has got to take precedence.

Play the games for a TV audience only. And start making the arrangements today. That's my advice.

 

[meyers7]

I suppose the WNBA will follow suit but who would notice?

 

[uconnfan68]

I'll be VERY surprised if either the men's or women's NCAA Championship Tournament takes place this year.

Given that the virus seems much less virulent in young people than in the enfeebled elderly, I see a possibility of a crowdless "jamboree" type of tournament which would kill in the ratings (ahem, no pun intended), but I do not see the NCAA filling arenas around the country at this point in the pandemic.

Bummer.

The silver lining is that our F4 streak lives on.

 

[Bigboote]

I thought this was a helpful explanation of the rationale behind canceling large events in the wake of covid-19:

How canceled events and self-quarantines save lives, in one chart

Thanks for this. I hadn’t processed that, even if the same number of people get infected, if it happens more slowly, the health-care system is better able to keep up with it.