MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Feel very badly for both the Blue Jays and Cardinals.  Both hosting this weekend also with great chances to get to FF.  Especially NCC with lots of seniors graduating.

Yep. It's truly a shame.

But the people for whom I feel the worst are the senior student-athletes who play spring sports. As disappointing as it is for the EC and NCC senior basketball players, at least they got in a full final season, even though they didn't get the ultimate resolution to it that they'd wanted. The spring-season seniors only got a fraction's worth of their final seasons.

At least the spring season players will almost certainly be given the OPTION of a 5th season (though at CCIW-school prices I'm not sure anyone will be interested).

I haven't heard anything like that being bandied about. It would be an equitable thing to do, but that doesn't mean that it's a fait accompli.

I'm guessing none of the spring sports hit the 10% cutoff for medical shirts, right?  You could technically put in for medical relief citing Covid-19 couldn't you?  It is a medical condition that kept them from competing this season.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Feel very badly for both the Blue Jays and Cardinals.  Both hosting this weekend also with great chances to get to FF.  Especially NCC with lots of seniors graduating.

Yep. It's truly a shame.

But the people for whom I feel the worst are the senior student-athletes who play spring sports. As disappointing as it is for the EC and NCC senior basketball players, at least they got in a full final season, even though they didn't get the ultimate resolution to it that they'd wanted. The spring-season seniors only got a fraction's worth of their final seasons.

At least the spring season players will almost certainly be given the OPTION of a 5th season (though at CCIW-school prices I'm not sure anyone will be interested).

I haven't heard anything like that being bandied about. It would be an equitable thing to do, but that doesn't mean that it's a fait accompli.

I'm guessing none of the spring sports hit the 10% cutoff for medical shirts, right?  You could technically put in for medical relief citing Covid-19 couldn't you?  It is a medical condition that kept them from competing this season.

Actually, many of the baseball teams have already played more than 10% of the season.  Especially in the west coast or southern teams, but also those snowbird teams that have had spring break trips - IWU has played 10 games, and is scheduled to play #11 tomorrow (#12-15 have already been cancelled; I suspect that the season is over). 

But I thought I had read somewhere here that the NCAA would probably give a blanket exemption for spring sports if seasons got cancelled.  Is that my elderly memory misfiring again, or just wishful thinking that the NCAA could be reasonable? 

[markerickson]

How many people attend D3 baseball, softball or track events?  What a BS decision by the NCAA.  I can understand with wrestling and hoops where there is a ton of intimate contact, and >10,000 fans attend those tournaments.  Why can't the NHL and MLB play w/o fans?  Rake in that advertising dough while the hockey players are covered head-to-toe with fabric and a mask in a venue w/o fans and baseball has virtually no physical contact between opposing players.  And what about personal responsibility?  If you are vulnerable, don't attend the contest.

[iwu70]

Very very sad ending . . . especially for the Spring athletes, softball, baseball, golf etc.  Really tough.  IWU had a great shot again at a national title in Softball, with the talent and pitching they have.  A surely in golf too.  I hope exemptions and further seasons are permitted.  But, few will be able to recoup and return.  Very sorry for EC and NCC, and their D3 basketball dance runs . . . congrats to them again on great seasons, making positive noises for the CCIW.

Welcome to my world . . . we've been on at distance teaching and advising for over 16 weeks now, first from late November due to the police siege and political protests on/near our campus, then the whammy of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei in Central China, also less severely here in Hong Kong.   We're on closure, with all things done at distance, online via ZOOM and other platforms til at least April 20th . . . and most of us think it will go on longer, through the end of the Spring term and into the summer, with all the teaching, research,recruiting, and financial implications that many of you have already mentioned.  An extreme hit on higher education, especially international education and exchange.  The mechanisms and infrastructures of exchange and inter-institutional collaboration for exchange and research, have basically collapsed.  It will take at least 2-3 cycles for recovery and repair, if ever.  If an institution is already under financial and enrolment pressures, this is going to be a very dangerous moment. In Hong Kong, almost all of the Universities are government-subvented to a high portion . . .  and we have very strong community and philanthropic support, but hits to enrolments, to international students in grad programs (esp. from Mainland China) and anger by some donors about student activism and protest . . . well, all these are going to be major, negative factors on the future strength of the higher education sector here.  I'm sure many weaker private institutions in the US  will face major crises, even closure, due to this pandemic.  There are some in the CCIW in this category.

Let's hope against hope that when the summer heat comes, this little dastardly bastardly bugger of a virus bug begins to wane . . . as happened with SARs.  All the medical and public health experts here, with much experience from SARs, swine flu, bird flu and chicken genocide, don't seem to think that is likely  So we may be in for a longer crisis and pandemic. 

Be well, all, stay safe and healthy, be vertical and positive in mood and mode, and wash your hands like Lady MacBeth. Take all precautions and practice "social distancing."  It really sucks, but it is absolutely crucial now as the pandemic roars to "community outbreak" life in the US.  The global economy is going to come to a screeching halt.  It will be ugly.

Here in Hong Kong, we are holding our own, with 131 cases, 4 deaths and 78 returned home, recovered after hospitalisation.  We are doing better than a lot of places.  I do fear, however, that we too are on the edge of a broader community outbreak in our beloved, dense and deeply troubled, worried, city home of 7.8 million souls.

Best to you all for being safe and healthy.

IWU'70

[iwumichigander]

Oh please Mark.  Two NBA players on Utah Jazz tested positive. The Jazz was just in Detroit and stayed at a hotel downtown.  How many guests, fans and other players did they infect? 

The medical experts right now are saying the less contact possible is the best way to minimize the virus from spreading. As a person who has an autoimmune disease, I am limiting contact and certainly wish others would do so as well.

[AndOne]

Feel very badly for both the Blue Jays and Cardinals.  Both hosting this weekend also with great chances to get to FF.  Especially NCC with lots of seniors graduating.

Well, this was one of Elmhurst's greatest seasons of all-time. Impressed they could turn their fortunes around after that rough stretch in Feb, and win their first ever CCIW Tournament championship.

Saturday's game vs Pomona-Pitzer would have been the biggest ever game in the history of RA Faganel Hall. I feel bad for the seniors who have to see their careers end like this.

Stay healthy everyone!

I was in the office this afternoon when word was received via email from the NCAA at 3:17 that, rather than play before only essential staff and family members, it had been decided by the powers that be that the basketball championship playoffs were being terminated immediately as well as all other ongoing winter and spring sports. To have the pinnacle within reach and to then to have the possibility of achieving it so suddenly ripped away was a very tough pill to swallow as a fan let alone how bad it has to feel for the student athletes.
Wash U was in the gym in the middle or their team practice session. NCC AD Jim Miller indicated he needed to advise Coach Juckem and the team immediately. However Site Administrator Mike Schauer of Wheaton was present, and I believe he was the individual who delivered the devastating news.
I talked with a few of the players shortly afterwards. Understandably, the level of disappointment was palpable. They indicated that it would take some time to fully process things and that the finality of the situation and resulting pain would probably really not hit until sometime during the long bus ride back to St. Louis. Standing there among the young men I felt totally sad and disappointed for them. Though they did a good job of hiding their despair, I can't imagine how bad they felt. For their sakes I hope they can find some degree of relief in all the good that had to have happened this season for them to reach this point.
A few minutes later, I heard sounds of anguish from out in the hallway as one of the NCC seniors learned of the NCAA decision. And again I felt so very sorry for the pain he was experiencing.

What a shame that evidently no consideration was given either to playing now with no fans present, or  to holding open the possibility that conditions might improve in a couple of weeks and somehow a way could be found to complete the final rounds. It just seems premature that today's decree gave the players no chance to achieve their dreams after putting in all the time and effort they have over the last 2, 3, 4, or in some cases, 5 years.        for sure.

March Madness Sadness

[kiko]

What a shame that evidently no consideration was given either to playing now with no fans present, or  to holding open the possibility that conditions might improve in a couple of weeks and somehow a way could be found to complete the final rounds. It just seems premature that today's decree gave the players no chance to achieve their dreams after putting in all the time and effort they have over the last 2, 3, 4, or in some cases, 5 years.        for sure.

An article in ESPN laid out why a delay was not as practical as it might seem.  A big part of what is in the first paragraph is clearly more related to D1, but the second is relevant for D3.  And given a two week incubation period for the virus, a delay would certainly be much more than a couple of weeks.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/28893468/what-know-know-ncaa-tournament-cancellations

Why did the NCAA cancel its championships rather than explore postponements, particularly in men's and women's basketball?

The NCAA was believed to be exploring options for postponement throughout the day on Thursday, but several logistical hurdles prevented this from being a viable option.

A growing number of universities around the country are closing for the foreseeable future due to this worldwide pandemic, so the lack of a defined timetable to return to campus would put the NCAA in a bind. It's hard to send an entire campus home for a month, bring students back, have the teams practice for a week or two and then hope to start an NCAA tournament. And that's not even accounting for the ability to secure arenas, secure travel and identify television programming windows for men's and women's basketball in particular. It's a great idea in theory, but not great in practice.

There's simply a calendar issue, too. In men's and women's basketball in particular, many players without remaining eligibility would be pursuing their professional options or attempting to start their post-basketball careers. The NBA is able to delay things for a few weeks and reassess, because it's able to extend its season into the middle of the summer with no issue. It's likely impossible to do that in any college sport, particularly one expected to end in March or early April.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I've also heard, especially for d3, the closure of campuses leaves those teams with no real support for the remaining weeks.  I still think they should've played the games this weekend, and that empty arenas would've been sufficient precautions, but there was no practical way to support remaining teams going forward.

[sac]

I've also heard, especially for d3, the closure of campuses leaves those teams with no real support for the remaining weeks.  I still think they should've played the games this weekend, and that empty arenas would've been sufficient precautions, but there was no practical way to support remaining teams going forward.

I think that became untenable the moment an NBA player tested positive.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I've also heard, especially for d3, the closure of campuses leaves those teams with no real support for the remaining weeks.  I still think they should've played the games this weekend, and that empty arenas would've been sufficient precautions, but there was no practical way to support remaining teams going forward.

I think that became untenable the moment an NBA player tested positive.

We're all going to get it.  Most of the players already have it.  Our extreme lack of testing is hampering our ability to deal with this.  One guy testing positive is freaking people out, but it's not actually a danger to other athletes.  We're way, way beyond containment at this point.  If they're in a closed system, they're not going to infect the general public.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I've also heard, especially for d3, the closure of campuses leaves those teams with no real support for the remaining weeks.  I still think they should've played the games this weekend, and that empty arenas would've been sufficient precautions, but there was no practical way to support remaining teams going forward.

I think that became untenable the moment an NBA player tested positive.

We're all going to get it.  Most of the players already have it.  Our extreme lack of testing is hampering our ability to deal with this.  One guy testing positive is freaking people out, but it's not actually a danger to other athletes.  We're way, way beyond containment at this point.  If they're in a closed system, they're not going to infect the general public.

That sounded harsh, but I think we're fooling ourselves if we think one positive test in a very specific population is an isolated incident.  I think of Rory McIlroy saying they should golf until one person tests positive, then shut it down.  By the time one golfer tests positive, that's not the only case.

The time for all these closures was probably three weeks ago, if we really wanted to keep it from spreading.  I just mean, in practicality, we're not endangering players by having them play the games, especially games they were already on site for.

Perception has driven a lot of this, which isn't unimportant, but not always medically necessary.

I'm not saying we shouldn't have done what we did - just that we probably would not have made things worse playing out the winter seasons (at least for d3) in empty arenas.

[sac]

Players aren't just in contact with other players though, they go back to their schools, their families etc etc etc.

Two weeks, no outward symptoms, yet you're still contagious.  Sports just aren't that important.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Players aren't just in contact with other players though, they go back to their schools, their families etc etc etc.

Two weeks, no outward symptoms, yet you're still contagious.  Sports just aren't that important.

Likely they wouldn't have gone back to anyone.  If there was any chance they would keep playing, it would've been going from game sites directly to Ft. Wayne, likely, especially given how the schools were going.

Like I said, overall, the right decisions were made, because, at the end of the day, sports doesn't have that high a priority.  I'm sure the players wouldn't have been too excited to be separated like that with everything else going on.  At that point you're putting social pressure on kids they don't deserve and not getting their best performances anyway.

I just meant playing wouldn't change the infection scenario much, if at all - not saying it would've been good for anyone.

[GoPerry]

Players aren't just in contact with other players though, they go back to their schools, their families etc etc etc.

Two weeks, no outward symptoms, yet you're still contagious.  Sports just aren't that important.

Likely they wouldn't have gone back to anyone.  If there was any chance they would keep playing, it would've been going from game sites directly to Ft. Wayne, likely, especially given how the schools were going.

Like I said, overall, the right decisions were made, because, at the end of the day, sports doesn't have that high a priority.  I'm sure the players wouldn't have been too excited to be separated like that with everything else going on.  At that point you're putting social pressure on kids they don't deserve and not getting their best performances anyway.

I just meant playing wouldn't change the infection scenario much, if at all - not saying it would've been good for anyone.

A lot of people already have it and are asymptomatic.  The reason why cases are going up is because more and more testing is being done.  So the uptick in cases is due to the testing rollout just as much as the infection spreading itself.

I agree that it's unclear as to whether holding or cancelling these events would change the calculus much.  But in truth, it really doesn't matter.  There is fear unabated because there is ambiguity about the virus' containment.  Will it be contained in 3 weeks, 3 months or 6+ months?  Nobody can say.  Cancelling events doesn't necessarily get you closer to that answer.  But from a perception standpoint, it does mean that it's being dealt with very seriously and widely and that the containment timeline might soon have a terminus.

[sac]

Cancelling events should slow the rate of infection, thus putting less strain on the health system.  That's the reason you cancel events.

In the end yes, probably the same number of people will be infected but if you can stretch the time frame by limiting contact then you're helping more people in the long run by reducing strain on the health system. The health system can then treat those who really need it more effectively.