It's Official. B1G Tournament in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium (instead of Chicago) Wed March 10-Sun March 14. NCAA To Address Teams Opting OUT

[Franisdaman]

Feb 4 Update:

The B1G Tournament will not return to Chicago until 2023.





Jan 16 Original Post:

Makes sense to have the B1G Tournament in Indy. Get the 10 (or so) B1G NCAA Tournament teams quarantined in Indy well before the Big Dance starts in the state of Indiana.

The 29 Day Timeline:
Sun March 7: last reg season B1G game
Wed March 10-Sun March 14: B1G Tournament
Sun March 14: Selection Sunday
Thur March 18: Start of NCAA Tournament
Sat April 3: Final Four (national semifinals)
Mon April 5: National Championship






And what about teams that decide to opt out of their conference tournaments?

Example: #6 ranked Houston out of the AAC is obviously going to be invited to the Big Dance.

Can you imagine if Houston opted out of the AAC Conference tournament? Under current rules, this would then allow for a second team from the AAC to make the Big Dance (the winner gets the automatic bid by wining the conference tournament).

Looks like the NCAA is going to address that possibility.

 

[KuwaitHawk]

One correction Fran, the start date is Tuesday 16 March.

 

[Franisdaman]

One correction Fran, the start date is Tuesday 16 March.

i didn't count the play in games

 

[NI hawk]

One correction Fran, the start date is Tuesday 16 March.

Nope. They have already come out and said tournament will not be starting on March 16. Gavitt said it if I remember correctly.

 

[NI hawk]

i didn't count the play in games

I think you might be correct in your first post.

 

[Franisdaman]

One correction Fran, the start date is Tuesday 16 March.

Nope. They have already come out and said tournament will not be starting on March 16. Gavitt said it if I remember correctly.

From the NCAA's web site:

2021 March Madness: Complete schedule, dates

• Selection Sunday: March 14
• First Four: TBD
• First Round: TBD
• Second Round: TBD
• Sweet 16: TBD
• Elite Eight: TBD
• Final Four (national semifinals): April 3
• National Championship: April 5

 

[Franisdaman]

I think you might be correct in your first post.

Yeah, based on the info from NCAA.com, I filled in the blanks.

The 29 Day Timeline:
Sun March 7: last reg season B1G game
Wed March 10-Sun March 14: B1G Tournament
Sun March 14: Selection Sunday
Thur March 18: Start of NCAA Tournament
Sat April 3: Final Four (national semifinals)
Mon April 5: National Championship

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

Is there something going on in Illinois/Chicago that they'd have to move it?

 

[BBHawk]

Iowa tied for 1st now.

 

[IowaHawkeyeFBnBB4Life]

Is there something going on in Illinois/Chicago that they'd have to move it?

Liberal restrictions?

 

[BBHawk]

Liberal restrictions?

OFGS.

 

[Hawksfinal4]

Iowa tied for 1st now.

Half game back but tied in loss column

 

[IowaHawkeyeFBnBB4Life]

OFGS.

Tis true my man

 

[kceasthawk]

Is there something going on in Illinois/Chicago that they'd have to move it?

I think a big benefit to this plan would be that the BIG teams could hunker down in Indy for the BIG tourney and then stay there in their own bubble for the tourney, as most of the teams will be in the tourney field of 64. I think this could give the BIG teams an advantage over many conferences, if they hold the entire NCAA field in Indy. They can study and eat in their hotels and be settled in for the NCAA tourney, and not have to worry about travel or getting in their bubble as late as other teams.

 

[MepoDawg#]

OFGS.

Truth hurts.

 

[BBHawk]

Truth hurts.

No place for politics except for dicks.

 

[MepoDawg#]

No place for politics except for dicks.

Is it not true? Not trying to be political, just a fact.

 

[Franisdaman]

I think a big benefit to this plan would be that the BIG teams could hunker down in Indy for the BIG tourney and then stay there in their own bubble for the tourney, as most of the teams will be in the tourney field of 64. I think this could give the BIG teams an advantage over many conferences, if they hold the entire NCAA field in Indy. They can study and eat in their hotels and be settled in for the NCAA tourney, and not have to worry about travel or getting in their bubble as late as other teams.

yep. that's what I said in the orig post & why I said it makes sense.

What I said in orig post:

Makes sense. Get the 10 (or so) B1G NCAA Tournament teams quarantined in Indy well before the Big Dance starts in the state of Indiana.

 

[Franisdaman]

Liberal restrictions?

OFGS.

Truth hurts.

No place for politics except for dicks.

Is it not true? Not trying to be political, just a fact.

I don't want to make this political. At all.

NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt has stated that having the NCAA Tournament in ONE STATE (Indiana) is ideal because THEN the NCAA tournament officials are dealing with ONLY ONE STATE's health guidelines/restrictions.

Gavitt stated that condensing the tournament to one location seems absurd at first glance, but NCAA officials have been working with the city of Indianapolis and the state of Indiana to pull off an NCAA tournament 'bubble' since the 2020 tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. He didn't go as far as calling the effort a bubble, but refers to the effort as a highly controlled basketball environment ALL under one state's (Indiana) health guidelines.


The full story from the Indy Star:

Here’s what Indianapolis’ NCAA tournament 'bubble' will look like

The NCAA officially announced Monday that the entire 2021 NCAA tournament would be held in Indianapolis this spring. But how is that possible?

www.indystar.com

 

[chuck285]

Too much B1G TV money but it might make sense to just forget the tournament. Stop most chances of getting the virus and probably not going to help or hinder the seedings. ???

 

[Franisdaman]

Too much B1G TV money but it might make sense to just forget the tournament. Stop most chances of getting the virus and probably not going to help or hinder the seedings. ???

IMO, I for sure want to get all 20 B1G reg season games in so we can crown a regular season champion (which is the recognized B1G Champion).

If that means canceling the BTT to accomplish that, then so be it.

Iowa's last B1G Championship was 42 years ago. We need to end this awful, awful drought with this wonderful team.

 

[IowaHawkeyeFBnBB4Life]

I don't want to make this political. At all.

NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt has stated that having the NCAA Tournament in ONE STATE (Indiana) is ideal because THEN the NCAA tournament officials are dealing with ONLY ONE STATE's health guidelines/restrictions.

Gavitt stated that condensing the tournament to one location seems absurd at first glance, but NCAA officials have been working with the city of Indianapolis and the state of Indiana to pull off an NCAA tournament 'bubble' since the 2020 tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. He didn't go as far as calling the effort a bubble, but refers to the effort as a highly controlled basketball environment ALL under one state's (Indiana) health guidelines.


The full story from the Indy Star:

Here’s what Indianapolis’ NCAA tournament 'bubble' will look like

The NCAA officially announced Monday that the entire 2021 NCAA tournament would be held in Indianapolis this spring. But how is that possible?

www.indystar.com

Exactly. Can't risk California or Illinois saying no or imposing restrictions the day or two before.

 

[SotaHawk87]

I’m more interested to see how they fit this MSU game back in..

 

[Franisdaman]

I’m more interested to see how they fit this MSU game back in..

i think its gonna be tough because there are only so many open dates that realistically line up on MSU's, IU's and Iowa's calendars. Don't forget, IU was supposed to play MSU today & IU wants to reschedule their postponed game w/ MSU, too

 

[SotaHawk87]

i think its gonna be tough because there are only so many open dates that realistically line up on MSU's, IU's and Iowa's calendars. Don't forget, IU was supposed to play MSU today & IU wants to reschedule their postponed game w/ MSU, too

Only makes sense that road game at MSU gets moved back to Iowa City.

 

[Franisdaman]

Only makes sense that road game at MSU gets moved back to Iowa City.

3 B1G teams w/ covid issues have forced postponement of games; it will be interesting to see if all of the postponed games get played

 

[Kabby]

3 B1G teams w/ covid issues have forced postponement of games; it will be interesting to see if all of the postponed games get played

The teams that had to cancel will just have to suck it up then. That means playing 3 or 4 games in a week for them then that's what it means.

 

[Ronman]

I think they should dump the BTT, schedule a true round robin of conference games and slide the NCAA tourney back another two weeks. They could play all the additional games at the neutral site if need be, but preferably not. Anyone in the conference that cannot play the scheduled games have to forfeit. We would finally have a true conference champion with no one team getting an advantageous schedule.

 

[Franisdaman]

The teams that had to cancel will just have to suck it up then. That means playing 3 or 4 games in a week for them then that's what it means.

what is the process, i wonder, in reschulding the games? I assume there's a conference call w/ the B1G and affected ADS, where they look at open dates but what happens (as an example) if the B1G and Barta like the make up date but Izzo/their AD object?

 

[Franisdaman]

here is Jon's column on this:

 

[Franisdaman]

 

[Robster Raws]

IMO, I for sure want to get all 20 B1G reg season games in so we can crown a regular season champion (which is the recognized B1G Champion).

If that means canceling the BTT to accomplish that, then so be it.

Iowa's last B1G Championship was 42 years ago. We need to end this awful, awful drought with this wonderful team.

I posed the idea of the conference tournaments being called a while back. Just from the point of tempting fate. Especially when teams within conferences are having issues while others aren’t.

I get that some teams need it for seeding or for an AQ birth. But unique times may lead to unique decisions. Can you imagine Iowa having NCAA tournament run ruined because of another teams issues, a week before playing?

 

[Franisdaman]

I posed the idea of the conference tournaments being called a while back. Just from the point of tempting fate. Especially when teams within conferences are having issues while others aren’t.

I get that some teams need it for seeding or for an AQ birth. But unique times may lead to unique decisions. Can you imagine Iowa having NCAA tournament run ruined because of another teams issues, a week before playing?

If I were the B1G, I would be very tempted to:

* Crown a regular season B1G Champion

* Send only the 9 or 10 teams likely to make the Big Dance to Indy on Monday March 8th & make that your B1G Tourney (yeah, it sucks to be the 10th or 11th place team in the B1G this year )

* These 9 or 10 B1G teams in Indy not only play for a B1G Tourney title, they also are quarantining for 10 days in Indy (March 8 thru March 18). March 18 is when the Big Dance games begin

 

[Robster Raws]

If I were the B1G, I would be very tempted to:

* Crown a regular season B1G Champion

* Send only the 9 or 10 teams likely to make the Big Dance to Indy on Monday March 8th & make that your B1G Tourney (yeah, it sucks to be the 10th or 11th place team in the B1G this year )

* These 9 or 10 B1G teams in Indy not only play for a B1G Tourney title, they also are quarantining for 10 days in Indy (March 8 thru March 18). March 18 is when the Big Dance games begin

Stop offering reasonable outlines and ideas. This a message board.

I suspect other conferences whine and cry and point to the B1G having an ‘advantage’ if that plays out. I’m all for the regular season games taking priority over the tournament.

 

[herkyihawks]

Would it make sense at all to make this a 10 team tournament? Could start on Thurs instead of Wednesday. You would have less teams there. Most every one of the top ten teams would be NCAA qualifier already.

 

[Franisdaman]

Makes sense. Get the 10 (or so) B1G NCAA Tournament teams quarantined in Indy well before the Big Dance starts in the state of Indiana.

The 29 Day Timeline:
Sun March 7: last reg season B1G game
Wed March 10-Sun March 14: B1G Tournament
Sun March 14: Selection Sunday
Thur March 18: Start of NCAA Tournament
Sat April 3: Final Four (national semifinals)
Mon April 5: National Championship

View embedded media

Lets hope Iowa is already in a hotel in Indy on Selection Sunday.

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

In any normal year, as a Chicagoan and an Illini fan, the United Center has my vote. This year? Makes so much sense to just do it in Indy. Just push Chicago’s turn back a year.

 

[Franisdaman]

 

[SDHawkDoc]

The correct order of precedence is :

1. NCAA tournament













2. B1G regular season
3. B1G tourney.

Translation: It's all about pulling off an NCAA tourney right through the final buzzer of the championship game. Everything else about this basketball season is in service of accomplishing that.

 

[Franisdaman]

What about teams that decide to opt out of their conference tournaments?

Example: #6 ranked Houston out of the AAC is obviously going to be invited to the Big Dance.

Can you imagine if Houston opted out of the AAC Conference tournament? Under the current rules, this would then allow for a second team from the AAC to make the Big Dance (the winner gets the automatic bid by wining the conference tournament).

Looks like the NCAA is going to address that possibility.