A Greenville, S.C., organizing committee "will bid to relocate" two NCAA Tournament opening rounds in '17 to the city after the NCAA pulled the event from Greensboro over North Carolina's controversial HB2, according to Mandrallius Robinson of the GREENVILLE NEWS. The bid "must be submitted by Sept. 27," and the NCAA has "informed bidding groups that its decision will be revealed on Oct. 7." Greenville last hosted the NCAA Tournament in '02. For the next 14 years, the NCAA and ACC "boycotted South Carolina in protest of the Confederate flag flying at the Statehouse." The flag was "lowered last year, and the boycotts were lifted." In August, the same Greenville organizing group "submitted bids" for the next full cycle from '19-'22 (GREENVILLE NEWS, 9/21).
SOUTHERN COMFORT? South Carolina AD Ray Tanner yesterday said that the school is "considering bidding" on the relocated games, but has "not submitted a bid." Tanner, in reference to an ESPN report claiming the contrary, said, "We're considering it, but we have not submitted a bid." In Columbia, David Cloninger writes the school is "taking its time considering the NCAA bid." One of the "biggest reasons is what it would do" to the school's women's team. The South Carolina women's basketball program has "become a national leader in attendance and has earned two straight years of hosting in NCAA tournaments." The team is "expected to earn another host site" in '17, which would "conflict with the men's regional." Colonial Life Arena "can't host men's and women's regionals at the same time because of NCAA rules" (Columbia STATE, 9/21). ESPN's Andy Katz reported Providence College confirmed it has "bid on" the '17 games (TWITTER.com, 9/20). Meanwhile, Katz cited a source as saying that the capacity of the 8,722-seat Palestra for UPenn and the "infrastructure for an 8-team event makes it a non-starter" to land the games (ESPN.com, 9/20).
