Big East Bubble?

[Not A Serious Person]

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.

They spot mentioned the most is the IMG Academy in Florida.  This is where the WNBA is bubbled now.

[Not A Serious Person]

Big East Is Among Multiple Leagues Considering Bubbles For Basketball Season; IMG, Omaha In Mix
https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamzagoria/2020/08/12/the-big-east-is-among-multiple-leagues-considering-bubbles-for-basketball-season-img-omaha-in-mix/#2252b70b33c2

The Big East Conference — which does not have football and on Wednesday postponed all fall sports — is one of several leagues considering setting up bubbles for its men’s and women’s basketball seasons, multiple sources said.

“We’re considering it along with several scheduling alternatives,” one Big East source said.

Possible locations include the CHI Health Center Arena in Omaha, Neb. — Creighton’s home site — and IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. where the WNBA is currently playing in a bubble. Additional locations are also being considered, the source said. It remains unclear if men’s and women’s basketball in the Big East would be in the same or different bubbles.

It’s also unclear when conference games would be played in the bubbles and how they would work in relation to school calendars. The college basketball season is set to begin Nov. 10. Last year the 90-day Big East conference schedule began Dec. 30. The league’s main TV partner, Fox, would also have to be consulted but a Fox source said there have been no discussions as of yet.

[The Big East]

Big East Is Among Multiple Leagues Considering Bubbles For Basketball Season; IMG, Omaha In Mix
https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamzagoria/2020/08/12/the-big-east-is-among-multiple-leagues-considering-bubbles-for-basketball-season-img-omaha-in-mix/#2252b70b33c2

The Big East Conference — which does not have football and on Wednesday postponed all fall sports — is one of several leagues considering setting up bubbles for its men’s and women’s basketball seasons, multiple sources said.

“We’re considering it along with several scheduling alternatives,” one Big East source said.

Possible locations include the CHI Health Center Arena in Omaha, Neb. — Creighton’s home site — and IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. where the WNBA is currently playing in a bubble. Additional locations are also being considered, the source said. It remains unclear if men’s and women’s basketball in the Big East would be in the same or different bubbles.

It’s also unclear when conference games would be played in the bubbles and how they would work in relation to school calendars. The college basketball season is set to begin Nov. 10. Last year the 90-day Big East conference schedule began Dec. 30. The league’s main TV partner, Fox, would also have to be consulted but a Fox source said there have been no discussions as of yet.

Creighton Has a perfect setup for a bubble. The CHI health center is Directly connected to the Hilton Omaha which is a very large hotel . There is a overhead pedestrian walkway between the two locations so a player literally wouldn’t have to leave the bubble.

[warriorchick]

Creighton Has a perfect setup for a bubble. The CHI health center is Directly connected to the Hilton Omaha which is a very large hotel . There is a overhead pedestrian walkway between the two locations so a player literally wouldn’t have to leave the bubble.

Also, Omaha has fewer reasons to leave the bubble.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

Knowing the historical base of the conference, I would investigate Mohegan Sun.  Also the Dunk has a hotel basically across the street that may work. 

[The Big East]

Also, Omaha has fewer reasons to leave the bubble.

The breakfast buffet at the Hilton is tremendous as well.

[warriorchick]

The breakfast buffet at the Hilton is tremendous as well.

In all fairness, Omaha is a pretty underrated town.  The Old Market is very cool.

[MU82]

Also, Omaha has fewer reasons to leave the bubble.

Teal was SO unnecessary, chickadee!

[WhiteTrash]

In all fairness, Omaha is a pretty underrated town.  The Old Market is very cool.

As a parent of Creighton student, I have to agree. While not Chicago or like wise, it's a good city. Home to 3 or 4 Fourtune 500 companies.

[warriorchick]

As a parent of Creighton student, I have to agree. While not Chicago or like wise, it's a good city. Home to 3 or 4 Fourtion 500 companies.

Good enough for Warren Buffet.

[wadesworld]

The little area down by the UNO basketball arena is pretty cool.

[Herman Cain]

Good enough for Warren Buffet.

Buffet has his office Christmas Lunch at The Hilton in the Private dining room in the back of the Restaurant . He has been seen occasionally at a Creighton game as well with The President of Creighton

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Buffet has his office Christmas Lunch at The Hilton in the Private dining room in the back of the Restaurant . He has been seen occasionally at a Creighton game as well with The President of Creighton

[MU82]

Buffet has his office Christmas Lunch at The Hilton

Is the food served buffett-style?

[tower912]

No, but come Monday, you get drunk and screw.

[MU82]

No, but come Monday, you get drunk and screw.

Only after I have changes in attitude and changes in latitude.

[Hards Alumni]

Buffet has his office Christmas Lunch at The Hilton in the Private dining room in the back of the Restaurant . He has been seen occasionally at a Creighton game as well with The President of Creighton

[The Big East]

Buffet has his office Christmas Lunch at The Hilton in the Private dining room in the back of the Restaurant . He has been seen occasionally at a Creighton game as well with The President of Creighton

https://omaha.com/business/local/omaha-s-megabillionaire-down-the-street-warren-buffett-set-to-celebrate-his-90th-birthday/article_52ccc925-378c-5094-8a1f-b57b3d3fb8bc.html

[brewcity77]

Oh FFS. Are you that desperate to be the next Chicos?

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

From today's New Haven Register.

https://digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/ODN/NewHavenRegister/Default.aspx

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Mohegan Sun open to hosting a bubble
By Doug Bonjour

As the NCAA continues to monitor COVID-19, including its impact on the college basketball season, officials at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville are hopeful they will be able to host games as planned this fall.

However, beyond the events that have been locked into place for months, such as the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase featuring UConn and Quinnipiac, the venue may also serve as a “bubble” site amid the pandemic.

“The NCAA is going to say whether you can start your season Nov. 10 or a different week,” said Dave Martinelli, chief marketing officer at Mohegan Sun. “The later they start that first game, the more prevalent a bubble could be. You’re going to have a lot of teams looking to play as many games as they can play.

“Once that decision is made on when the season will start, I think people will move extremely quickly.”

The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball oversight committees are expected to propose a start date of Nov. 25 — the day after Thanksgiving — later this month, according to multiple reports.

To help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, coaches and administrators have publicly floated the idea of trying something similar to the NBA and WNBA, where teams could play multiple games without having to worry about traveling from coast to coast.

Martinelli, who has been working in conjunction with the Basketball Hall of Fame, said numerous options are currently on the table, including 16 men’s or women’s teams playing four games each over the course of eight days in the main 10,000 seat arena. The Expo and Convention Center may also serve as a site.

“You could fit four courts down there and really churn through a lot of games,” Martinelli said. “This bubble option gives you an alternative, a more efficient way to fill out your non-conference schedule.”

Players, coaches and staff would be housed at the on-site hotel. All food and beverage service would be handled under the same roof.

“The bubble’s going to be as tight as the teams and conferences want it to be,” Martinelli said. “They could have floors of the hotel with only the basketball team, and they could go back-of-the-house to the arena or the Expo Center. But that’s going to be the team’s decision.”

A few early season non-conference tournaments are scheduled to be played there, including the Air Force Reserve Hall of Fame Tip-off, an eight-team men’s tournament (including Quinnipiac), on Nov. 21-22, the aforementioned Women’s Hall of Showcase the following weekend, and two tripleheaders in December.

Mohegan Sun, the longtime home of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, is also slated to host the Big East Women’s Basketball Tournament for the next three seasons. It was staged in Chicago six of the last seven years, with a brief stop in Milwaukee. This move coincides with UConn’s return to the conference.

There was a push for it to be played at Mohegan during the old Big East. But at the time, some of the league’s presidents didn’t like the optics of holding the event inside a casino. Apparently, the majority of feelings have changed.

“I think there was just a change in the way that gaming is viewed in our society,” Martinelli said. “Since the 10-plus years that decision was made, UConn and almost every other Big East school has played here in some sort of fashion, whether it’s a tournament or a one-off game. There’s a much better comfortability of playing here.

“I don’t know how the Big East voted. I just know they voted positively.”

dbonjour@ctpost.com ; @DougBonjour

[MU82]

From today's New Haven Register.

https://digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/ODN/NewHavenRegister/Default.aspx

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Mohegan Sun open to hosting a bubble

I'd wager that would be quite a gamble.

[GooooMarquette]

I'd wager that would be quite a gamble.

I see what you did there....