UCLA Game in Jeopardy?

[The Big East]

UCLA won yesterday.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/story/2020-12-06/ucla-opens-pac-12-dominant-victory-over-cal

[BrewCity83]

If the UCLA game is cancelled because of the California Governor's rules, and not because anyone on either team is having COVID issues, then I think it's fair for fans to be pissed.

[brewcity77]

UCONN just went in quarantine.  I give it two more weeks with the Thanksgiving surge coming and entire NCAA season in jeopardy.

They'll find a way to play a tournament, even if they use the information from the past two weeks as the only data points.

[rocky_warrior]

[Billy Hoyle]

They'll find a way to play a tournament, even if they use the information from the past two weeks as the only data points.

They'll do a FA Cup style tournament - all eligible teams, higher rated conference starting later in the tournament. That's a worst-case scenario. Before that would be to push the tournament back to start in April or even May.  I think you're going to start seeing conferences bubbling soon.

[Gato78]

If the UCLA game is cancelled because of the California Governor's rules, and not because anyone on either team is having COVID issues, then I think it's fair for fans to be pissed.

The California rules are pretty simple: if there are less than 17% available ICU beds, there has to be an area shut down. People shouldn't be pissed. The requirement seems reasonable and is math based so no single politician can get in the way.

[GB Warrior]

If the UCLA game is cancelled because of the California Governor's rules, and not because anyone on either team is having COVID issues, then I think it's fair for fans to be pissed.

I think of Sean Doolittle's (Nats pitcher) quote often.

"Sports are like the reward of a functional society."

[The Sultan]

They'll do a FA Cup style tournament - all eligible teams, higher rated conference starting later in the tournament. That's a worst-case scenario. Before that would be to push the tournament back to start in April or even May.  I think you're going to start seeing conferences bubbling soon.

Again I doubt it. I don't think the numbers work. Cheaper to miss a few games.

[Galway Eagle]

They'll do a FA Cup style tournament - all eligible teams, higher rated conference starting later in the tournament. That's a worst-case scenario. Before that would be to push the tournament back to start in April or even May.  I think you're going to start seeing conferences bubbling soon.

I think a full NCAA version, combining all three divisions, of the FA cup would be a blast

[79Warrior]

The California rules are pretty simple: if there are less than 17% available ICU beds, there has to be an area shut down. People shouldn't be pissed. The requirement seems reasonable and is math based so no single politician can get in the way.

It's actually 15%. My bro is a doc at Cedars. The UCLA game tomorrow is on at Pauley against USD.

[brewcity77]

Again I doubt it. I don't think the numbers work. Cheaper to miss a few games.

If that were the case, we wouldn't see teams staying longer in Bubbleville or making efforts to get there. Clearly if you have TV coverage, it's worth it to make sure you get games.

[The Sultan]

If that were the case, we wouldn't see teams staying longer in Bubbleville or making efforts to get there. Clearly if you have TV coverage, it's worth it to make sure you get games.

Bubbleville wasn't really a true bubble.  Yeah, something like that, which is more like a common site with increased testing, could work.  But you are still going to have the possibility of positive tests under that model.

[The Sultan]

I think a full NCAA version, combining all three divisions, of the FA cup would be a blast

I doubt you are going to see most D3 teams participate in winter sports and I REALLY doubt there will be D3 championships.

[brewcity77]

Bubbleville wasn't really a true bubble.  Yeah, something like that, which is more like a common site with increased testing, could work.  But you are still going to have the possibility of positive tests under that model.

I think that's what we're likely to see. I think the Big East will be at Mohegan Sun and you'll see the other Top-6 leagues do something similar, whether at single sites or at a few sites. They will be soft bubbles, but it's safer than the travel we've seen.

For smaller leagues, I'm not sure how they'll get by. Just not enough money or TV revenue to insure proper testing. I know we usually see the high-majors dominate the at-large bids, but that might be even more pronounced this year on the simple basis that the smaller leagues don't meet the criteria for inclusion beyond a champion.

[The Sultan]

OK, but then I wish people would stop calling that a bubble.  That isn't a bubble.  That's just getting people to a common site with increased precautions. 

[Dr. Blackheart]

OK, but then I wish people would stop calling that a bubble.  That isn't a bubble.  That's just getting people to a common site with increased precautions.

Okay...it's a "soft bubble" then.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I think that's what we're likely to see. I think the Big East will be at Mohegan Sun and you'll see the other Top-6 leagues do something similar, whether at single sites or at a few sites. They will be soft bubbles, but it's safer than the travel we've seen.

For smaller leagues, I'm not sure how they'll get by. Just not enough money or TV revenue to insure proper testing. I know we usually see the high-majors dominate the at-large bids, but that might be even more pronounced this year on the simple basis that the smaller leagues don't meet the criteria for inclusion beyond a champion.

And the soft Mohegan Sun bubble didn't work out so well in the end either.

[Billy Hoyle]

I think a full NCAA version, combining all three divisions, of the FA cup would be a blast

you couldn't do D2 and D3. Have all 348 eligible D1 teams (Ok. State and Auburn ineligible, along with seven reclassifying schools) and place them by conference ranking, easy to do with 32 conferences. The bottom 8 in the first round, then the next 8 in the second, the next 8 in the third 8 start in the fourth round. Use conference RPI rankings to determine the conference placement. It won't happen but it would be fun.

[WI inferiority Complexes]

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Ugh. That was a miserable game.

[1SE]

I think a full NCAA version, combining all three divisions, of the FA cup would be a blast

Every year. ~1100 teams across all levels. So basically you'd need 4 extra weekends - effectively D3 and D2 would need to wrap up their seasons a little early (but they could still have a "loser-bracket" side where teams that fell out of the main tourney jump back into the respective division tourney).

Every year you'd probably get one or two D3 teams into the round of 64 - how fun!   

[Galway Eagle]

Every year. ~1100 teams across all levels. So basically you'd need 4 extra weekends - effectively D3 and D2 would need to wrap up their seasons a little early (but they could still have a "loser-bracket" side where teams that fell out of the main tourney jump back into the respective division tourney).

Every year you'd probably get one or two D3 teams into the round of 64 - how fun!

Use that logic and ask how often a team from other than the champions league or  Premier have won/advanced far. It's just about giving the small teams their chance in the spotlight. And maybe you might find yourself happily surprised occasionally just like the actual tournament

[ZiggysFryBoy]

The FA cup runs over September-June, with the lower non-league teams (D3) playing early and the big dogs start much later.

Even compressing that some, would be massively unworkable.

I think you'd see a champions league style tournament before you'd see an FA Cup style tournament.

[1SE]

The FA cup runs over September-June, with the lower non-league teams (D3) playing early and the big dogs start much later.

Even compressing that some, would be massively unworkable.

I think you'd see a champions league style tournament before you'd see an FA Cup style tournament.

I think Galway thought I was being sarcastic - I wasn't.

How much do I care about D2 and D3 basketball right now? 0. How much would I pay to watch them on TV right now? 0. How much would I care if they were part of MEGA TOURNEY? More than 0, and I would pay more than 0 to watch those games too.

Single elimination tourneys are exponential. Sketching it out you could basically do something like a 12 round structure where the "normal" 64 teams don't start playing until a 128 team round 6 (seeded against 64 teams from D3/D2/unseeded D1). That would only be one  ROUND longer than the current tourney for "normal" tourney teams. 

I think it would make the NCAA more than the current format but it would certainly be a logistical nightmare.


Watching 28 seed UW-Platteville knock off 5 seed Badgers would be awesome.

[Galway Eagle]

 to me I'd rather see the top D3 and D2 power houses at least get a chance to show their metal in the tournament than I would see 15-16 teams from crappy conferences lose by 40 to 1 seeds. I've been vocal before about how single bid conferences should make it their best team in the tournament and I would go a step farther that I would rather see a UWSP or UWWW or a NW Missouri State fill up those spots as they'd likely take down a lot of the worst D1 teams anyways.

Would it be perfect? Nope. Would it be  complicated? yes. But even if it was a once every few years thing I think it'd be cool. The FA cup has >700 teams so it's not like it'd be an unheard of concept to organize.