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The college basketball season begins on Wednesday. That much we know for sure.
However, folks, concerns abound. How many games will in fact be played, though, as the sport is reeling from a rash of COVID-related cancellations, adjustments and postponements? That’s an exceptional concern. What will those matchups be? Another excellent question. If nothing else, many are various now than they were on Monday, and others will definitely alter once again prior to tip-off time.
Oh, and what the heck does MTE mean?
That one, good friends, is a 2020 unique– it stands for Numerous Group Occasion, where a host area (often a location, sometimes a school/team) invites numerous schools/teams to their place for numerous days of games. For the a lot of part, they’re not competitions or real round-robins, but simply a chance to hopefully– that’s a key word this year– play a couple of games in a safe, monitored environment. The charm of an MTE is the flexibility, which is another keyword for college hoops in 2020, because it’s not about who you’re arranged to play as much as it is who is offered to play.
MORE: Meet SN’s college basketball preseason All-Americans for 2020-21
Let’s start the madness with the biggest MTE, at the Mohegan Sun gambling establishment in southeastern Connecticut. The plan was, as laid out here by CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, was for nearly 40 teams to play 45 games over an 11- day span.
Baylor, the group ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP survey, was one of the headliners, as part of the Empire Classic, a four-team mini-event at Mohegan Sun that included Villanova, Arizona State and Boston College.
Well, Baylor’s out. Head coach Scott Drew evaluated positive for COVID, however the Bears– including Jared Butler, a member of SN’s First-Team Preseason All-America team– at first prepared to come and play anyhow because no one else evaluated favorable. That idea didn’t last long, and Baylor decided not to make the journey
The Bears were expected to play No. 18 Arizona State on Wednesday in the marquee matchup of the opening day at Mohegan Sun. For Baylor, Rhode Island was subbed in. Simple enough because Rhode Island was currently on site. Flexibility like we have actually never ever seen with college basketball scheduling. The Sun Devils and Rams are arranged to tip off at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Y’ know, a minimum of for now.
Stephen F. Austin made it to Connecticut, with everybody testing unfavorable before leaving Texas, however all groups and traveling parties are checked instantly upon arrival and one member of the taking a trip celebration– not a player, coach or fitness instructor, as Norlander reported— evaluated positive. Much for that Texas-to-Connecticut journey.
Maine was supposed to play Virginia on Wednesday, however a positive test in the Maine program ditched that game, and the Black Bears returned house. Now, Virginia will play Towson, and San Francisco– initially arranged to play SFA– will deal with UMass-Lowell. Sheesh.
The incubation duration for COVID is a genuine thing, folks.
And, of course, it’s not simply a Mohegan Sun concern.
It’s been a turbulent offseason for Wichita State, with reports emerging over the summer of the reprehensible habits– allegations of physical and spoken abuse of gamers and coaches– of longtime head coach Gregg Marshall, reports that resulted in the 2 sides parting ways and the Shockers naming assistant coach Isaac Brown as interim head coach. They were lastly going to turn the page with a season-opening tournament in South Dakota, the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic (no, really, that’s the real name).
Well, the Shockers took a trip to South Dakota– everybody passing coronavirus tests before leaving house– only to have multiple positive outcomes after tests were administered upon arrival. An awful offseason turned into a delayed start to the real season. Those test results occurred enough time before the games were to start that the Bad Boy powers-that-be had the ability to generate another group, so VCU is replacing Wichita State
Utah State coach Craig Smith found out of the opponents swap– VCU for Wichita State– when his airplane landed in South Dakota Great times.
And it’s not simply MTEs and tournaments that are being affected. Gardner-Webb, a plucky squad from the Big South that earned the league’s auto bid for the 2019 NCAA Tournament, was supposed to start its season with roadway video games versus ACC powers Duke and Florida State. However COVID-related concerns within the program caused Duke canceling Wednesday’s game, and a couple of days later on, FSU canceling Friday’s video game
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes checked favorable for COVID, and the Volunteers canceled their very first 2 games of the season. Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak evaluated positive, and his Utes canceled their opener against New Orleans. Tennessee Tech coach John Pelphry also evaluated favorable for COVID, however his game– at Indiana– is still on; Pelphry will just stay home and assistant Marcus King will take over. Arizona was supposed to open against Northern Arizona, but COVID issues for NAU required the cancellation of that a person, too. Fellow Pac-12 team Stanford was expected to play Utah Valley in its opener, however a UVU concern stopped that one, too
This, hoops fans, is far from a comprehensive, exhaustive list. It is, hopefully, a glance into the madness and unpredictability that college hoops programs are dealing with as everybody involved in the sport tries to get this season began.
Wear your masks. Stay at home whenever possible. And mind the incubation period.
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