Big East Bubble?

[GoldenWarrior11]

Being considered per Goodman:

The Big East and Big Ten are two conferences that have discussed using a bubble for basketball this season, per sources. However, it's just one of multiple options that has been discussed.

Wonder what location would be utilized.  If no fans, they probably want to use a gym that a school owns/wouldn't have to rent?  Or maybe the would to create more spacing for entry/testing.  Have a difficult time envisioning the BE renting MSG for several months without fans. 

And that doesn't even cover the conversation regarding the student-athletes and coaches.

[asdfasdf]

I wonder if it would be possible for multiple conferences to use the same bubble.

[zcg2013]

I think this is the only feasible way to move forward with a season for this year, especially with the bubble success in NBA, NHL, MLS.

[brewcity77]

I still think conference-only will make the selection process a nightmare. How do you compare across conferences without a metric like the NET? That sort of metric is useless if there's no non-con play.

[WhiteTrash]

I wonder if it would be possible for multiple conferences to use the same bubble.

Big East v. ACC challenge? That would be fun. Any team that could go .500 versus an all BE & ACC slate would be a hell of a team.

[Coleman]

Being considered per Goodman:

The Big East and Big Ten are two conferences that have discussed using a bubble for basketball this season, per sources. However, it's just one of multiple options that has been discussed.

Wonder what location would be utilized.  If no fans, they probably want to use a gym that a school owns/wouldn't have to rent?  Or maybe the would to create more spacing for entry/testing.  Have a difficult time envisioning the BE renting MSG for several months without fans. 

And that doesn't even cover the conversation regarding the student-athletes and coaches.

LOL at zero mention as to how these students go to school.

Also, if universities insist on in-person classes to collect room and board revenue for their everyday students but then allow student-athletes to participate in a bubble with 100% online classes, it would be the height of hypocrisy, completely about money.

[Nukem2]

I still think conference-only will make the selection process a nightmare. How do you compare across conferences without a metric like the NET? That sort of metric is useless if there's no non-con play.

If there is no NC play, so be it.  The NCAA would then have to select teams arbitrarily.  Just what it would be.

[Uncle Rico]

LOL at zero mention as to how these students go to school.

Also, if universities insist on in-person classes to collect room and board revenue for their everyday students but then allow student-athletes to participate in a bubble with 100% online classes, it would be the height of hypocrisy, completely about money.

The conferences don't care about the classroom

[The Sultan]

LOL at zero mention as to how these students go to school.

Also, if universities insist on in-person classes to collect room and board revenue for their everyday students but then allow student-athletes to participate in a bubble with 100% online classes, it would be the height of hypocrisy, completely about money.

Well, classes for most students will be ending after Thanksgiving and will likely not start up again until February.

[Coleman]

Well, classes for most students will be ending after Thanksgiving and will likely not start up again until February.

Fair point. If the season could be condensed into that time, it could work.

[5DollarPitcher]

Big East v. ACC challenge? That would be fun. Any team that could go .500 versus an all BE & ACC slate would be a hell of a team.

Another year - another reason to be happy with a .500 record.  Admin really did a number on your expectations.

[Dish]

This idea is great, and the perfect spot is Wintrust, it almost makes too much sense.

Benefits of Wintrust:
-Marriott Marquis literally connected to the arena
-McCormick Place utilized for practices
-Teams that can bus in: MU, DePaul, NW, UW, Illinois, IU, Purdue, Butler, Iowa, Maybe on XU, MSU, UM, OSU, Minny

There isn't a better spot for this idea.

[wadesworld]

This idea is great, and the perfect spot is Wintrust, it almost makes too much sense.

Benefits of Wintrust:
-Marriott Marquis literally connected to the arena
-McCormick Place utilized for practices
-Teams that can bus in: MU, DePaul, NW, UW, Illinois, IU, Purdue, Butler, Iowa, Maybe on XU, MSU, UM, OSU, Minny

There isn't a better spot for this idea.

I would think it would make most sense to play at multiple locations as well.  So you could bus over to Northwestern or UIC or whatever on game day.  I'd think you'd want multiple games going on at the same time so everyone can play every other day or something.

[WhiteTrash]

Another year - another reason to be happy with a .500 record.  Admin really did a number on your expectations.

First, I've said before this could & should be Wojo's final year. What he has accomplished has not met my expectations.

Second, if MU could get to .500 against an all BE & ACC schedule, they would be a very good team deserving of an NCAA bid.

Nova, CU, Duke, UNC, Virginia would all expect better than .500 but it would be a grind for everyone else.

[Dish]

I would think it would make most sense to play at multiple locations as well.  So you could bus over to Northwestern or UIC or whatever on game day.  I'd think you'd want multiple games going on at the same time so everyone can play every other day or something.

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.

[MU82]

Another year - another reason to be happy with a .500 record.  Admin really did a number on your expectations.

I think this is an excellent thread to try to start yet another Nojo vs Projo debate. We don't have quite enough of them on Scoop.

As for the actual topic ...

It's not easy for me to envision this succeeding, but I haven't heard any better ideas so I'll keep an open mind. And if it happens, I'll obviously enjoy watching the games.

[Coleman]

This idea is great, and the perfect spot is Wintrust, it almost makes too much sense.

Benefits of Wintrust:
-Marriott Marquis literally connected to the arena
-McCormick Place utilized for practices
-Teams that can bus in: MU, DePaul, NW, UW, Illinois, IU, Purdue, Butler, Iowa, Maybe on XU, MSU, UM, OSU, Minny

There isn't a better spot for this idea.

Not to mention McPier is desperate for cash after losing all of those conventions. I'm sure they'd cut a nice deal. Great idea Dish.

Would women's teams be included in the bubble?

[Coleman]

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.

If you could play 5 games in a day, would you really need another location? Its not like teams would be playing every single day. Probably 1-2 days off between games, at a minimum. 

[Dawson Rental]

I wonder if it would be possible for multiple conferences to use the same bubble.

That sort of defeats the purpose of the bubble.

[Dawson Rental]

This idea is great, and the perfect spot is Wintrust, it almost makes too much sense.

Benefits of Wintrust:
-Marriott Marquis literally connected to the arena
-McCormick Place utilized for practices
-Teams that can bus in: MU, DePaul, NW, UW, Illinois, IU, Purdue, Butler, Iowa, Maybe on XU, MSU, UM, OSU, Minny

There isn't a better spot for this idea.

I really doubt that we'll see bubbles with teams from more than one conference. What would happen to UConn and Rutgers while their conference mates are playing in Chicago?  Having 2 or more conferences involved multiples the coordination complications, as well.

[forgetful]

LOL at zero mention as to how these students go to school.

Also, if universities insist on in-person classes to collect room and board revenue for their everyday students but then allow student-athletes to participate in a bubble with 100% online classes, it would be the height of hypocrisy, completely about money.

Not really. All universities are at least offering the option of being 100% online. They are also offering in-person classes (as at least a hybrid model) for two reasons. 1) Revenue. 2) Students want the option of being in person.

What would essentially happen in these cases, is that athletes would transition to the online aspect of a hybrid class while in the bubble, no different than a student is quarantined because of possible exposure.

So it is not hypocrisy at all, provided they give athletes the option of participating or not.

[brewcity77]

I really doubt that we'll see bubbles with teams from more than one conference. What would happen to UConn and Rutgers while their conference mates are playing in Chicago?  Having 2 or more conferences involved multiples the coordination complications, as well.

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.

[Dish]

Not to mention McPier is desperate for cash after losing all of those conventions. I'm sure they'd cut a nice deal. Great idea Dish.

Would women's teams be included in the bubble?

I thought about that too about the women, I don't have a good answer, and there's a catch to why I don't. I don't think that they want the men and women in the same bubble, if you catch my drift. I don't know if that went into the NBA's thinking with the WNBA, but I don't think it's a coincidence they're in different bubbles.

[SaveOD238]

Not to mention McPier is desperate for cash after losing all of those conventions. I'm sure they'd cut a nice deal. Great idea Dish.

Would women's teams be included in the bubble?

I'm pretty sure Title IX would require it

[Coleman]

I'm pretty sure Title IX would require it

They wouldn't require they are in the same bubble.