Big East Bubble?

[The Sultan]

And I'm not necessarily sure it would be required that they bubble the women as well.  They may decide to do so for PR reasons, but I doubt the DOE files a suit against schools in this situation.

[Elonsmusk]

NCAA should just cancel all sports this year, and athletes don't lose a year of their eligibility.  For seniors, they could be given an optional free year of grad school.  If they want to opt out and begin their pro careers, that's their option.

Personally, I think it ruins the experience for the seniors of this year to have to potentially play in a bubble, without fans, and that March Madness would be a shred of the experience.

[WhiteTrash]

NCAA should just cancel all sports this year, and athletes don't lose a year of their eligibility.  For seniors, they could be given an optional free year of grad school.  If they want to opt out and begin their pro careers, that's their option.

Personally, I think it ruins the experience for the seniors of this year to have to potentially play in a bubble, without fans, and that March Madness would be a shred of the experience.

It's fun to spend other people's money.

What about scolorship limits?

[Dawson Rental]

I still think it's necessary unless we are looking at a massive tournament. There are two ways it could work. Regionally you could have Marquette, Minnesota, Green Bay, Northern Illinois, Iowa State, Valparaiso, North Dakota, Eastern Illinois form a bubble, everyone gets tested rigorously going in, quarantine for a week, then play a round robin over 13 days so all 8 teams get 7 non-con games. Alternately, they could create it around the multi-team events, so Marquette could be grouped with UCF, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Albany, Lehigh, Long Island, and Quinnipiac and play the same round-robin format. If a team has to withdraw, so be it, everyone else gets one less game.

This would at least create a basis for NET to operate while completing non-con play in 3 weeks with everyone getting 6-7 games. And as everyone would be coming from a bubble that included testing (paid for by the universities involved along with the sponsors of the MTEs) they would be more secure going into a conference bubble directly from that with the rest of December and January to run through abbreviated conference schedules.

Oh, the regional bubble is for noncon only — that I get. Still all schools would have to figure out is how to get out of current contracts for noncon in order to play other schools noncon. That will only be possible if everybody nationwide gets made whole with a tourney near them. In some areas of the South organizers will find that they have plenty of teams, but not enough good ones.

[brewcity77]

Oh, the regional bubble is for noncon only — that I get. Still all schools would have to figure out is how to get out of current contracts for noncon in order to play other schools noncon. That will only be possible if everybody nationwide gets made whole with a tourney near them. In some areas of the South organizers will find that they have plenty of teams, but not enough good ones.

Remove NCSOS as a metric for this year. The changes reported to NET operate more on efficiency, so the quality of the opponent matters less than simply having a result between conferences. It would be ideal to throw at least 2-3 high majors together, but if they had 45 bubbles with roughly 8 teams each all from different conferences, it would give enough comparative data to create a baseline and strength of opponent would be offset by margin of victory. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would be manageable.

[Hards Alumni]

I know the conferences would throw a huge fit, but maybe the solution is some serious outside the box thinking.

16 regional bubbles.
Lines for the regions are drawn based on where a workable bubble could happen.
No conferences
Games are played from mid Nov - Mid Jan... basically 60 days.
60 day bubble means about 23 games (per team) need to be played TO INCLUDE ALL TEAMS
Round robin each team in the region plays each time once.
Best winning % advances to the "Super 16"

Super 16 is the National Championship bubble set in late March that plays out like an early season tournament.

The only problem I could see would be that the bubbles would be unevenly matched... but I guess that could be fixed somehow, ooorrrrrrrrrr people just deal with it for a year.

[brewcity77]

I think that's a fine idea. Could even have a 4-team tournament in each bubble before they leave to approximate the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

The problem I see is that this conference only adhesion. It guarantees leagues won't be on even footing. I suppose that's never the case, but in terms of a pandemic and a championship process that ultimately brings 350+ teams into a postseason with a theoretical chance at winning a national championship, you need to broaden the thought process beyond conferences.

[Coleman]

I know the conferences would throw a huge fit, but maybe the solution is some serious outside the box thinking.

16 regional bubbles.
Lines for the regions are drawn based on where a workable bubble could happen.
No conferences
Games are played from mid Nov - Mid Jan... basically 60 days.
60 day bubble means about 23 games (per team) need to be played TO INCLUDE ALL TEAMS
Round robin each team in the region plays each time once.
Best winning % advances to the "Super 16"

Super 16 is the National Championship bubble set in late March that plays out like an early season tournament.

The only problem I could see would be that the bubbles would be unevenly matched... but I guess that could be fixed somehow, ooorrrrrrrrrr people just deal with it for a year.

From a pure basketball perspective, this would work.

But what about conference TV revenue? Conference NCAA credits? Figuring out the money side of this would be a nightmare.

[Hards Alumni]

From a pure basketball perspective, this would work.

But what about conference TV revenue? Conference NCAA credits? Figuring out the money side of this would be a nightmare.

TV revenue could be that the networks that have deals with conferences get first option for broadcast rights.  If its B1G network or SEC network (as an example) they can outbid each other.   I see this as a problem that is something that TV networks and conferences can work together on easily.  Negotiate.  But I guess that makes the bubble impossible.

Maybe what it does is the various bubbles each get their own network (I know this is very pie in the sky!) to minimize contact even more.  Or alternatively, the conference networks license games from each other.  The crew for each bubble remains the same, but commentators, halftime programming is all done by conference or however.  I don't know, I think this is all stuff that they should already be considering.  Sure it would take some negotiating, but it's August already.  Madness is 70 days out.  It seems like everyone is waiting until the last second to negotiate or plan their seasons.

Conference NCAA credits don't exist this year.

[brewcity77]

From a pure basketball perspective, this would work.

But what about conference TV revenue? Conference NCAA credits? Figuring out the money side of this would be a nightmare.

Broker a new one-year deal between the NCAA and networks. How many networks currently broadcast games? Must be at least 10 or so. Everyone can get a handful of pods, revenue split equally. The big conferences take a hit, but the small leagues get a bigger than normal share that hopefully allows them to keep athletics on the whole afloat. Once you get to elimination play, NCAA shares as usual.

[#UnleashSean]

I was thinking that too. If you played at Wintrust, let's say first game of the day is at 10:30am. I'll go with 2 and a half hours between games, so the next games are 1pm, 3:30pm, 6pm, 8:30pm, so there'd be 5 games per day, 10 teams playing each day at Wintrust, but with 25 teams, you would probably need one additional arena. UIC probably makes the most sense from a pure location standpoint. Northwestern and AllState are too far, I doubt that Reinsdorf/Wirtz would open up the UC for something like this.

I agree with you though, they could use UIC/Loyola/UC/Northwestern/AllState/Sears Center (the two latter one's if they only had to). Heck, they could use Moody Bible if they really wanted to.

Why do we need these huge complexes? They could literally play in a rec center with 5 courts.

[WhiteTrash]

Why do we need these huge complexes? They could literally play in a rec center with 5 courts.

I think TV coverage and locker rooms. Just 2 that I can think of.

[Dish]

Why do we need these huge complexes? They could literally play in a rec center with 5 courts.

I don't think you understand how a bubble works.

[4everwarriors]

College sports are doomed. For my part, you can throw professional sports off a cliff and I'd ever miss it, hey?

[#UnleashSean]

I don't think you understand how a bubble works.

How is a bubble at a closed Rec center worse then bussing teams around between 4 different sites?

[SaveOD238]

How is a bubble at a closed Rec center worse then bussing teams around between 4 different sites?

To have a bubble means having both the athletic facilities and the hotels separated from the "outside world."  At a place like McCormick place that's easier to do.

[Dish]

How is a bubble at a closed Rec center worse then bussing teams around between 4 different sites?

Teams literally wouldn't have to walk outside at the Wintrust/Marriott/McCormick Place setup.

Unless they are still making Holi-Domes.

[BallBoy]

It would be interesting if they got rid of conference for just one season and played a true elimination style event.

There are 350 D1 teams.  You would randomly assign them to a bubble. Could be random or some allocation based on conference. That would mean 16 teams could play in 22 Bubbles (2 would only have 15). They play each other round robin. Each team would play 15 games. That is non-conference. Top 8 from each bubble move to the right to play into NCAA or NIT tournament. Bottom 8 play for CBI invite.

Every team gets placed into the next bubble either random or a bubble bracket feed in. Probably the latter to worry less about spread. There would be 11 16 team bubbles on the NIt/NCAA and another 11 for CBI.

Those 16 teams play a round robin style.   Top 8 teams from each bubble move to the NCAA. Next 3 with one play in or 32 selected teams to NIT. These are the "conf bubbles." As each team would play 15 games. That would make a 30 game season heading into the "tournament". You would get the Bubble champion like a conference champion.

Selected 16 in the CBI side bubbles could play for the CBI or just call it a season.

That leaves 88 remaining teams that would play in the NCAA. Top 40 teams get byes and the remaining 48 play a first round single elimination playin game. We would then have 64 teams and would play the NCAA tournament. You could eliminate the round of 88 by also just taking Top 6 with two playin games.

That remaining 22 and the NIT bubble champions could be an alternative for the NIT versus what I mentioned earlier.  This is probably a better way of getting the best teams.

No question you would likely have the 64 best teams. Each region would be a bubble of 16 teams.  You could then seed line the tourney as well.

A member of your team tests positive you are eliminated. Team you would have played advances.

Players would take classes virtually like most colleges would do anyway.  Tutors could be a part of the bubble.

I think it would be fun but could never happen. Too much TV money wrapped into conferences.

[Hards Alumni]

It would be interesting if they got rid of conference for just one season and played a true elimination style event.

There are 350 D1 teams.  You would randomly assign them to a bubble. Could be random or some allocation based on conference. That would mean 16 teams could play in 22 Bubbles (2 would only have 15). They play each other round robin. Each team would play 15 games. That is non-conference. Top 8 from each bubble move to the right to play into NCAA or NIT tournament. Bottom 8 play for CBI invite.

Every team gets placed into the next bubble either random or a bubble bracket feed in. Probably the latter to worry less about spread. There would be 11 16 team bubbles on the NIt/NCAA and another 11 for CBI.

Those 16 teams play a round robin style.   Top 8 teams from each bubble move to the NCAA. Next 3 with one play in or 32 selected teams to NIT. These are the "conf bubbles." As each team would play 15 games. That would make a 30 game season heading into the "tournament". You would get the Bubble champion like a conference champion.

Selected 16 in the CBI side bubbles could play for the CBI or just call it a season.

That leaves 88 remaining teams that would play in the NCAA. Top 40 teams get byes and the remaining 48 play a first round single elimination playin game. We would then have 64 teams and would play the NCAA tournament. You could eliminate the round of 88 by also just taking Top 6 with two playin games.

That remaining 22 and the NIT bubble champions could be an alternative for the NIT versus what I mentioned earlier.  This is probably a better way of getting the best teams.

No question you would likely have the 64 best teams. Each region would be a bubble of 16 teams.  You could then seed line the tourney as well.

A member of your team tests positive you are eliminated. Team you would have played advances.

Players would take classes virtually like most colleges would do anyway.  Tutors could be a part of the bubble.

I think it would be fun but could never happen. Too much TV money wrapped into conferences.

lol I'm pretty sure I recommended this a few days ago

[BallBoy]

lol I'm pretty sure I recommended this a few days ago

Similar but different.

[GooooMarquette]

College sports are doomed. For my part, you can throw professional sports off a cliff and I'd ever miss it, hey?

I'm with you there 4ever. To me, the only purpose of pro sports is to keep players motivated to be as good as they can be, so we get a good college product. Unfortunately, it often causes players to be too motivated...to the point that they skip classes, leave early, and generally focus too much on sports and not enough on school.

On balance, I'd be perfectly happy if pro sports just fell off a cliff....

[GoldenDieners32]

I really hope we get to see DJ play in the blue and gold

[GB Warrior]

Nothing says student athlete like removing them from a traditional learning environment and popping them into a months long bubble.

Honestly, the only way I think this argument makes sense is if there are no students in campus. If students are there, 'student-athletes' belong there in the most suitable learning environment.

Either way, you lose some false pretenses trying to forge ahead with a season in this environment. As with CFB (though with differing risk patterns), I think the threat to the business model is bigger than tbe disease in the grand scheme of things.

[Johnny B]

I really hope we get to see DJ play in the blue and gold

i didnt feel much excitement for this season until he was good to go so yeah

[Coleman]

Nothing says student athlete like removing them from a traditional learning environment and popping them into a months long bubble.

Honestly, the only way I think this argument makes sense is if there are no students in campus. If students are there, 'student-athletes' belong there in the most suitable learning environment.

Either way, you lose some false pretenses trying to forge ahead with a season in this environment. As with CFB (though with differing risk patterns), I think the threat to the business model is bigger than tbe disease in the grand scheme of things.

As someone pointed out before, the bubble would happen during the extended winter break from Thanksgiving to February. Students will be home.