Every hour seems to reveal another problem, with opening week games being canceled across U.S.Getty Images
College basketball returns this week with "dozens of teams opening their seasons as early as Wednesday and the pandemic still raging," according to Cliff Brunt of AP. It has already "forced cancellations and postponements across the country, leading to a chaotic scramble to schedule opponents willing to drop everything to play" (AP, 11/24). USA TODAY's Dan Wolken writes college basketball has decided to "move ahead and accept whatever disruptions may occur," and the "reasons for that are clear." After canceling this year's NCAA Tournament, there "simply must be one in 2021 so that the NCAA can collect $850 million from its television contract." Plans for the regular season "have been particularly ill-conceived." Every hour "seems to reveal another failure as opening week games are being canceled across the country." Wolken notes due to the small rosters relative to football and the close contact inherent in practice, any positive tests are "going to be a massive problem, potentially causing teams to miss four or five games" (USA TODAY, 11/25).
SET IN SAND: In Detroit, John Niyo writes these college basketball schedules are "written in pencil, not ink." More than 10% of the 357 teams in D-I college basketball are "currently paused or shut down due to COVID-19 cases." The list of postponed or canceled games across the country "grows longer by the day" (DETROIT NEWS, 11/25). In Chicago, Steve Greenberg writes: "You can't turn around right now in college basketball without bumping into a team whose season is, at least in the early going, in jeopardy." Greenberg: "March Madness? Maybe we'll get there. November madness is here" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 11/25). Also in Chicago, Shannon Ryan wonders after seeing the college football schedule "pockmarked with weekly cancellations, how does college basketball expect to play a meaningful season?" This is another decision "guided by money." Starting from that reality, the only thing that matters to college basketball is "getting to its cash cow, the NCAA Tournament" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 11/25).
CONFERENCE CALL: ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said the difference between college basketball and college football right now is that college basketball is "still playing these walkup games to their conference schedule, and college football did not do that." There is "no particular reason to playing these early tournaments. ... Except for money." Kornheiser: "Conference play is what matters. You don't care about double-headers on aircraft carriers and games in casinos." Iona's Rick Pitino also has suggested pushing the start of the season back to March and playing the NCAA Tournament in May when vaccines are more readily available, and ESPN's Mike Wilbon said he would be "okay with that" (“PTI,” ESPN, 11/24).
