Yikes! Ivy League cancels hoop tourneys...men and women | The Boneyard

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

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
 
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,
 
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.
 
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.
 
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I suppose the WNBA will follow suit but who would notice? :(
 
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My daughter s friend at Harvard was just told to not to return to Harvard after spring break. Classes will be online.
 
Also, the Ivy tournament only involves the top 4 teams.
 
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.
 
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...
 
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.
 
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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.

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

Not a chance! The NCAA is far too greedy, and the NCAA tournament generates far too much money!
 
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.
Not a chance! The NCAA is far too greedy, and the NCAA tournament generates far too much money!
The "ESPN needs to step up" idea is an interesting one. Agree with soxfan that the NCAA, who has never exercised leadership in anything, would have to be dragged into it kicking and screaming. Being strongarmed into it by their TV $ugerdaddies, who are also greedy and would find a way to hold the tournaments for TV audiences, might be the answer.

BTW up to now Japan, while playing their big league baseball in empty stadiums, has been saying the Olympics will go on as scheduled. Today a member of their 2020 Olympic Organizing Committee Executive Board came out and said the Olympics could be postponed 1-2 years. Japanese organizing official discusses possibility Olympics could be postponed 1-2 years

I think there's a lot of scrambling going on to find alternatives to "cancel" for various events. Maybe the NCAA should be thinking about this too. They have never been proactive, though, and I have no reason to think they would be now. Suspect they'll wait until somebody tells them what to do, and then we'll get a suboptimal solution.
 
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Right now that is the hope, but every virus behaves a little differently.

The Spanish flu did most of it's damage in it's second year. Those who get COVID and recover have shown permanent scarring of the lungs which makes it more difficult to recover a second time.
 
I’m seeing a pattern here. Johns Hopkins hosted two rounds of the DIII tournament with no crowd. The Ivies have canceled their tournament. So, what, five or so of the top medical schools in the nation have weighed in and come up with similar solutions. These decisions, of course, are much less swayed by money, so are likely good ones from a public-health perspective.
 
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