Orlando's early season games set to be cancelled

[papacheesy2]

Per Rothstein:


Zagoria chimes in, too:


Looks like either the Wooden Legacy will need to find a new venue, or Seton Hall and the other schools will have to just drop it off their schedules.

 

[shu09]

What a joke. Sham season.

 

[hbkmyr]

officially cancelled

 

[papacheesy2]

Per The Athletic:

ESPN's plans to set up an NBA-like bubble for its college basketball events in Orlando have been scuttled due to ongoing differences between the network and the participating schools regarding the health and safety protocols required for participation, The Athletic has learned.

The decision impacts 10 events owned by ESPN and more than two dozen schools who were supposed to play in them, and it has thrown what was already a chaotic environment with regard to scheduling into further disarray just one month before the season is set to tip off on Nov. 25.

"We've decided to redirect our efforts to be sure the teams have enough time to make other plans," Clint Overby, vice president of ESPN Events, told The Athletic. "At the end of the day our bias was toward safety and making sure that what we pulled off was in the best interests of the sport. "

Exclusive: ESPN abandons plan for college basketball bubble events in Orlando

Some two dozen men's teams, which were slated to play in up to 10 events, will now scramble to fill out their schedules.

theathletic.com

 

[dehere23]

I’m sure they are considering this, but I think we should find as many local or semi-local schools as we can and try to beef up the non-conference slate with those. I loved the idea of us playing in Orlando and stacking our non-con with tough matchups from Power 5’s littered throughout the country, but I just don’t see it happening. I saw a Braziller article on St John’s OOC. They were supposed to play a few non-con Power 5 teams but apparently had to scrap that because of NY’s approach to travel out of state and other COVID stuff. They still have Texas Tech, and just added BC, but beyond that it is a bunch of local or Northeast mid-majors. It’s not ideal and certainly not the strength of the type of OOC we were planning for, but I think the approach is more realistic in these uncertain times. I’d rather us fill the schedule with games that have a better chance of happening even if it weakens our OOC.

 

[SHUHoopsFan]

They are just delaying the inevitable. Just shut down the season. Dry cold air will unquestionably lead to more cases. The protocols for a positive case are strong. It's going to be a tough season for everyone from coaches to players to fans.

 

[SHUHitman]

How on Earth do they reasonably determine an NCAA field and, more importantly, seeding with all of this nonsense going on? I honestly think there will not be a tournament this year, and the overall season is in jeopardy.

Realistically, I see conference play and tournaments and nothing else.

 

[MBF72]

Is Mohegan Sun facing the same issues? Thought I saw a bottom-of-the-screen blurb on the Dodgers-Rays game over the weekend claiming MLB had not had a COVID case in 54 days.
Do agree that the season is hanging by a thread.

 

[SHUSA]

They are just delaying the inevitable. Just shut down the season. Dry cold air will unquestionably lead to more cases. The protocols for a positive case are strong. It's going to be a tough season for everyone from coaches to players to fans.

i feel that way too. all the hype posts i see about mamu/aiken... none of them are exciting because i dont think the season will actually happen.

they already gave an extra year to everyone which seems like a premeditated move to cancel this season.

 

[SHUHoopsFan]

i feel that way too. all the hype posts i see about mamu/aiken... none of them are exciting because i dont think the season will actually happen.

they already gave an extra year to everyone which seems like a premeditated move to cancel this season.

As much as I was looking forward to Mamu's senior season, if it's not going to happen, I would love to see the young man get paid.

I don't think the extra year is premeditated. There are strict Covid policies that many schools cannot afford. I've heard a number schools are considering no spring sports especially for baseball and softball which would need to test almost daily with 5 games per week. I would imagine many small D1 schools and D2 are facing financial difficulties.

 

[SOBO1]

Is anyone honestly surprised?

 

[NYShoreGuy]

If espn was without disney support and infrastructure this would not have been a consideration to start with

 

[NYShoreGuy]

Is Mohegan Sun facing the same issues? Thought I saw a bottom-of-the-screen blurb on the Dodgers-Rays game over the weekend claiming MLB had not had a COVID case in 54 days.
Do agree that the season is hanging by a thread.

No its not i believe boxing was held there or foxwoods over summer multiple weeks, custer said on loughlin pod

 

[The SHUttle]

i feel that way too. all the hype posts i see about mamu/aiken... none of them are exciting because i dont think the season will actually happen.

they already gave an extra year to everyone which seems like a premeditated move to cancel this season.

I unfortunately agree. When they came out with that, it was basically getting out ahead of cancelling this season or not really expecting it to make it to a respectable conclusion.

 

[SHUSA]

I unfortunately agree. When they came out with that, it was basically getting out ahead of cancelling this season or not really expecting it to make it to a respectable conclusion.

at first it seemed crazy because they said even if they have a season everyone will get an extra year. not so crazy when you realize the "even if they still have a season" part is only there to have on paper.

 

[anon_ezos2e9wn1ob0]

MSESPN strikes again

 

[Burnsly]

I'd still love to know how many players on our roster have antibodies. Considering this virus was running rampant in March with no precautions taken I'd say it's a distinct possibility that a large % are currently immune.

 

[LeftCoastPirates]

No its not i believe boxing was held there or foxwoods over summer multiple weeks, custer said on loughlin pod

This is true...but it was on the Left Coast Pirates podcast if you want to go back and have listen. ;-)
Interesting protocol on how the events were handled, he broke down in detail for us.

#SHAMELESSPLUG

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/YZCZutispqeMfMsL6

 

[hbkmyr]

 

[mikewalsh]

COVID 19 has been politicized like no other natural disaster in US history. We keep hearing the phrase, "we have to listen to what the science says". Problem is that the "science" is not settled and if you're liberal you agree with scientists who say shut down, conservatives can point to scientists who say we must open up and protect the vulnerable. Science is not the solution, data is. Nobody is suggesting that the Federal government should impose regulations that are harsher then what we've seen in NY or NJ, some would like to see the country mirror NY/NJ response. Looking at the DATA, it's clear that the lockdowns seen in the Northeast states have been a failure. The top four states with the worst death/population ratio are NJ, NY, MA and CT, these four states have seen 64,460 deaths - 28% of the US total. The DATA, also, shows that the seasonal flu is more lethal than COVID 19 for those under 25. In the absence of a reliable vaccine lockdowns cannot stop the spread of the virus, however, we know that many people are dying from other causes (suicide, drug overdose, ailments that have gone untreated) as a result of the lockdowns. This isn't a political opinion, it's one that is based purely on DATA. I welcome anyone to challenge my opinion, I just ask that you include real DATA when you present it. LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!! GO PIRATES!!!

 

[TheHall87]

COVID 19 has been politicized like no other natural disaster in US history. We keep hearing the phrase, "we have to listen to what the science says". Problem is that the "science" is not settled and if you're liberal you agree with scientists who say shut down, conservatives can point to scientists who say we must open up and protect the vulnerable. Science is not the solution, data is. Nobody is suggesting that the Federal government should impose regulations that are harsher then what we've seen in NY or NJ, some would like to see the country mirror NY/NJ response. Looking at the DATA, it's clear that the lockdowns seen in the Northeast states have been a failure. The top four states with the worst death/population ratio are NJ, NY, MA and CT, these four states have seen 64,460 deaths - 28% of the US total. The DATA, also, shows that the seasonal flu is more lethal than COVID 19 for those under 25. In the absence of a reliable vaccine lockdowns cannot stop the spread of the virus, however, we know that many people are dying from other causes (suicide, drug overdose, ailments that have gone untreated) as a result of the lockdowns. This isn't a political opinion, it's one that is based purely on DATA. I welcome anyone to challenge my opinion, I just ask that you include real DATA when you present it. LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!! GO PIRATES!!!

What's also true is that only MA among those states you cite is in the top 25 of deaths over the past seven days (NY would be if CDC counted NYS and NYC together but even then would be No. 25). At 315 total they would rank fourth behind Texas, Florida and California. Cases are also way down in those states and none are in the top 20 of all states over the past seven days.

The only thing that is clear is that nothing is clear when it comes to this.

 

[HallBall02]

 

[HallBall02]

Keep your political stuff off the ship, let’s try to police ourselves while the moderator is in rehab.

OTS if you want to vent politics and your personal narrow viewpoints.

 

[NYShoreGuy]

This is true...but it was on the Left Coast Pirates podcast if you want to go back and have listen. ;-)
Interesting protocol on how the events were handled, he broke down in detail for us.

#SHAMELESSPLUG

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/YZCZutispqeMfMsL6

Sorry LCP, i knew it was from a pod I had heard, didnt mean to cite wrong source purposely

 

[Piratz]

I unfortunately agree. When they came out with that, it was basically getting out ahead of cancelling this season or not really expecting it to make it to a respectable conclusion.

This. It was the hedge of all hedges. There's no way an organization like the NCAA will be able to handle this adeptly. There are too many variables that they'd have to lead in front of and they cannot get out of their own way.

The only hope is the conferences find a way. Yeah, it won't look like normal and maybe you only see 20-25 games, but it's better than nothing.

The cases are going to increase. Everyone just needs to accept that. What are we at now as a country, like 8-9M? That number is probably 5x that in reality. That does not necessarily mean the world is ending or that we need to go back to March.

 

[LeftCoastPirates]

Sorry LCP, i knew it was from a pod I had heard, didnt mean to cite wrong source purposely

lol. All good. Was just trying to add some humor to the chat while at the same time plugging the pod shamelessly.

Back to the subject at hand.

This is all very frustrating, because it is shining a light on how logistically difficult this is going to be to conduct nationally across 300+ institutions.

Football is outdoors, not as many schools are participating, and let’s face it...the money behind that engine is even greater than basketball. Do you really think the Big Ten and PAC 12 decided to start playing because they all of sudden felt like it was now safer to do so?

This is going to be an unpredictable ride from here the rest of the season and I can understand why some are not as pumped up for the season to start.

 

[Halldan1]

After bubble bursts on Disney early-season events, conference-only schedules should get a serious look

After several tournaments were canceled, it might be wise to devote all energy into saving conference games for 2020-21

www.cbssports.com

College basketball tournaments and events in Orlando 'NBA-like bubble' canceled in COVID-19 protocol spat

Teams were concerned about some of the testing requirements and procedures for early-season tournaments


By Kyle Boone

Several early-season college basketball tournaments and multi-team events that were going to be held in Orlando, Florida, next month have been canceled, according to ESPN, which was staging the games. The scuttling of the plans to play the tournaments and events in a "NBA-like bubble" comes after what The Athletic reports were "ongoing differences" between the network and the participating schools over COVID-19 health and safety protocols required for participation, costing dozens of programs games just a month before the season is scheduled to start.

"ESPN Events set out to create a protected environment for teams to participate in early-season events in Orlando," ESPN said in a statement Monday afternoon. "Based on certain challenges surrounding testing protocols, we opted to resume these tournaments during the 2021-22 season."

Calling off plans for the games in the Orlando bubble impacts 10 total events owned by ESPN and more than two dozen teams in total that were expected to participate, according to The Athletic. Among the events impacted include the Jimmy V Classic, Champions Classic and the Orlando Invitational. It's unclear if the Champions Classic and the Jimmy V Classic doubleheaders will be canceled, however, or if the events will be played elsewhere. How those are handled could impact Duke, Michigan State, Kansas and Kentucky, the team's involved in the Champions Classic. The Athletic reported that Virginia, Florida State and Texas Tech were among the "dozens of teams" who had games cancelled less than a month before the 2020-21 season begins on Nov. 25.

The disagreement between schools expected to participate in the Orlando bubble and ESPN came over how stringent the protocols would be, according to CBS Sports' Matt Norlander. The Athletic reported that ESPN put forth guidelines that fall in line with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the NCAA, which are "more restrictive than the protocols many conferences are planning to implement." There was also disagreement on how to handle COVID-19 positive players and how frequently players who recovered from the virus must be tested.

Whether or not some of these events get rescheduled or not, though, the fact that multi-team events -- a month out from the start of the season -- are being canceled or pushed elsewhere is not a good sign. Schools planning to play in the events now canceled must scramble to fill schedules elsewhere on short notice, and there's at least some behind-the-scenes momentum to move to a conference-only schedule for this season amidst last-minute chaos.

 

[hbkmyr]

Seton Hall is available, haha

 

[seton1996]

Really looks like conferences need to figure it out, too many teams and in end NCAA really has little power.

Figure out how to play 25 games, whether can do with 20 conference games and 5 local OOC, or even 25 conference games.

 

[statenman]

I wonder how much of this had to do with $ and not Covid as they are saying. The headliners for these tournaments often pull in millions while the lesser teams get paid very little. With ESPN being significantly hurt financially this year, they may not have been able to pay the headliner programs what they wanted.
As far as Covid concerns, it would make more sense to play in this secluded bubble with reduced travel, than for a team or opponent to have to travel to each game. The whole Covid excuse just doesn't make sense in this case.

 

[Burnsly]

65% of Covid deaths in MA are in LTC facilities.

 

[Merge]

The DATA, also, shows that the seasonal flu is more lethal than COVID 19 for those under 25.

I can appreciate where you are going, but no, the data does not support that.

The flu is worst in the winter months for a variety of reasons, but they would all apply to Covid as well. We were lucky that the virus really started spreading her in March instead of January, but we haven't yet lived through a winter with Covid. Flu deaths start to increase in late October every year, and peak in January. There is no reason to believe that Covid would behave any differently and our worst months may be right in front of us if we are not taking it seriously enough.

You are correct that the science is not entirely settled, but you also have to consider the fact that is partly because the data is not really complete.

I'm not arguing for lockdowns, but the "not as bad as the flu" stuff has not helped us at all.
We still need to take it seriously and unfortunately that means large crowds (especially indoors) should still be avoided.

 

[TheHall87]

I wonder how much of this had to do with $ and not Covid as they are saying. The headliners for these tournaments often pull in millions while the lesser teams get paid very little. With ESPN being significantly hurt financially this year, they may not have been able to pay the headliner programs what they wanted.
As far as Covid concerns, it would make more sense to play in this secluded bubble with reduced travel, than for a team or opponent to have to travel to each game. The whole Covid excuse just doesn't make sense in this case.

Interesting thought. On the flip side, by cancelling the tournaments, they've blown a gaping hole in their programming across their platforms for at least a couple of weeks. Why do they own these events? Because it's content they control.