Dan Gavitt: NCAA Tournament Q&A

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NCAA Tournament Q&A: Dan Gavitt discusses plans and protocols for upcoming March Madness - Matt Norlander, CBS Sports – January 20, 2021

On Tuesday evening, CBS Sports talked with NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt to follow up on what big decisions still await in advance of March. The interview has been condensed and edited for conciseness.



Historic Hinkle Fieldhouse will be used for the first round, second round, and Sweet 16.

CBS Sports: In regard to the NCAA COVID Advisory Board and Marion County health officials, why is starting with the First Four on the Thursday after Selection Sunday considered a sufficient enough amount of time after arrival into Indianapolis?

CBS Sports: Since the NCAA is, as always, going to afford teams charter flights or charter buses, is the travel aspect of this not considered as sizable a risk when it's added into the equation of everything that's going to have to happen to get the tournament going?

CBS SPORTS: Will the committee rank beyond the usual 1-68 seed list, into the 70s, in the event you need to have backup teams, should certain selected teams not be able to play in the tournament? Specifically, between from when the bracket is revealed on Selection Sunday and by the start of the first round?

CBS SPORTS: Is there anything you can provide right now in regard to having to work around potential forfeits? Has that been heavily discussed by the committee at this point, or is it a major factor that, now that you've got the dates out there, you're really going to burrow more into in the coming week or so?

CBS SPORTS: The First Four at Mackey Arena and Assembly Hall. Why those two as opposed to Hinkle and Indiana Farmers Coliseum?

CBS SPORTS: So, teams will be practicing, in addition to the Indiana Convention Center, they will have the basketball venues and Lucas Oil available to them for practice?

CBS SPORTS: And just to be clear, if Indiana makes the First Four it's obviously going to have to play at Mackey, and if Purdue makes it, it's going to have to play it Assembly Hall?

CBS SPORTS: But the committee will not go as far as to keep non-home Big Ten teams out of Big Ten venues or non-Butler Big East teams not playing in Hinkle?

CBS SPORTS: In this unique tournament, why did the committee opt to stick to the usual First Four protocol when you've got an extra at-large this year? Why not afford all low-major teams, who are struggling through this season as much as anyone, why not just give all 16 seeds the courtesy of automatically starting in the first round and not subject them entrance into the main bracket via the First Four? Since all First Four games are on one day, you could even argue that on that Thursday you would bring more enticement from a television standpoint by putting in eight at-large teams from traditional power conference programs.

CBS SPORTS: What was the committee's thought process for the venues selected in this way: Sweet 16, the two basketball venues, Hinkle and Bankers Life, and then with the Elite Eight and the Final Four specifically going to Lucas Oil?

CBS SPORTS: Was there any consideration given to flipping it and saying, since we can't have a full building with fans, why not have a traditional basketball venue host the championship? So maybe the Pacers use Bankers Life for the middle weekend, the regionals, and we would use it on weekends one and three as opposed to weekends one and two? Was that at least debated amongst the committee?

CBS SPORTS: And it was the Pacers' decision more than the NBA? Because the NBA has to make the schedule, so how does that logistically work? The Pacers don't get to decide when they play games, right?

CBS SPORTS: You mentioned every team getting an opportunity once they get to the Final Four to have played Lucas Oil at least once. Will the court structure and layout at Lucas Oil change once you reduce it to one court for the Final Four, or even the Elite Eight, vs. how it's going to be set up for the first weekend?

CBS SPORTS: Any current projections from Marion County health officials about fan capacity at Lucas Oil? The Colts had it at 10% for their final home game. The hope is that there can be at least some sort of capacity in there that can be close to what the Indianapolis Colts were afforded.

CBS SPORTS: How many teams do you anticipate will arrive prior to Selection Sunday, being the Friday or Saturday before? For example, teams considered objective locks. Let's say Baylor doesn't win the auto bid, but it's obviously making the tournament. With logistics in mind and not wanting all teams get there on Monday, if you don't have to do that, would there be almost an official acknowledgement from the committee in advance of the bracket reveal? Why should we make Baylor wait around until Sunday night to travel when we know what's going to be in the field?

CBS SPORTS: We have the locations, the venues and the dates. What big decisions come next?

CBS SPORTS: Is the communication and re-emphasis on diligence about mask-wearing during games going to be one of those action items?

CBS SPORTS: So, broadly, can you address this overall objective: By the time we get to the start of the tournament, can you say that the NCAA will be prepared to adjust as necessary? Meaning fill in the bracket as necessary, if forfeits are unavoidable, and still be able to field a full tournament, despite any curveballs that the virus may dictate?

CBS SPORTS: And one more: Is there a plan to do a mid-season top 16 reveal like usual in February?

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National Collegiate Athletic Association - Wikipedia

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletes from up to 1,268 North American institutions and conferences. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, and helps over 480,000 college student-athletes who compete annually in college sports. The organization is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The NCAA dates its formation to two White House conferences convened by President Theodore Roosevelt in the early 20th century in response to repeated injuries and deaths in college football which had "prompted many college and universities to discontinue the sport." Following those White House meetings and the reforms which had resulted, Chancellor Henry MacCracken of New York University organized a meeting of 13 colleges and universities to initiate changes in football playing rules.

At a follow-on meeting on December 28, 1905 in New York, 62 higher-education institutions became charter members of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS). The IAAUS was officially established on March 31, 1906, and took its present name, the NCAA, in 1910.

In 1997, the NCAA asked for bids for a new headquarters. Various cities competed for a new headquarters with the two finalists being Kansas City and Indianapolis. Kansas City proposed to relocate the NCAA back downtown near the Crown Center complex and would locate the visitors' centre in Union Station. However Kansas City's main sports venue Kemper Arena was nearly 30 years old.

Indianapolis argued that it was in fact more central than Kansas City in that two-thirds of the members are east of the Mississippi River. The 50,000-seat RCA Dome far eclipsed the 17,000-seat Kemper Arena.

In 1999, the NCAA moved its 300-member staff to its new headquarters in the White River State Park in a four-story 140,000-square-foot facility on the west edge of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Adjacent to the headquarters is the 35,000-square-foot NCAA Hall of Champions.

The State of Indiana has a very rich college basketball tradition, with four different schools sending teams to NCAA Tournament Championship games:

Indiana Hoosiers
... NCAA Tournament Champions: 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987
... NCAA Tournament Runner-up: 2002
... NCAA Tournament Final Four: 1940, 1953, 1973, 1976, 1981, 1987, 1992, 2002

Butler Bulldogs
... NCAA Tournament Runner-up: 2010, 2011
... NCAA Tournament Final Four: 2010, 2011

Purdue Boilermakers
... NCAA Tournament Runner-up: 1969
... NCAA Tournament Final Four: 1969, 1980

Indiana State Sycamores
... NCAA Tournament Runner-up: 1979
... NCAA Tournament Final Four: 1979

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
... NCAA Tournament Final Four: 1978
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For the first time ever, the 2021 NCAA Tournament will take place entirely in one state – Indiana - which is not having one of their better seasons in college basketball. Let’s start with a look at preseason expectations in Indiana:

College Basketball 2020-21: Where every team ranks in each state, from top to bottom - Matt Norlander, CBS Sports – November 24, 2020

Indiana

Top team in state: Indiana Hoosiers

The rest:
2. Purdue
3. Butler
4. Notre Dame
5. Indiana State
6. Ball State
7. Valparaiso
8. Purdue Fort Wayne
9. Evansville
10. IUPUI

State of the state: If you're scrolling this list in alphabetical/presented order, then I'd say this is the most competitive state race yet between the top two teams. Indiana deserves the nod, but Purdue could prove to be not so far behind. Talent-wise, it's indisputable that Indiana is the best in the state this season. Weirdly, there's a pretty big gap between Butler at No. 3, and Notre Dame at No. 4.

College Basketball 1-357 Rankings for the 2020-21 season - Matt Norlander, CBS Sports – November 5, 2020

25. Indiana
32. Purdue
44. Butler

90. Notre Dame
130. Indiana State
154. Ball State
161. Valparaiso
210. Purdue Fort Wayne
241. Evansville
314. IUPUI

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Fast-forward to this week:

AP Top 25 Poll: Week 9 – Monday January 18, 2021

Teams in Indiana receiving votes: Purdue: (1 point)

Indiana shuts down No. 4 Iowa for 81-69 road upset – Associated Press - January 21, 2021

Big Ten Basketball Standings - 2020-21 – ESPN - Through Games on Thursday January 21, 2021

4(T). Purdue Boilermakers • 6-3 Conf. W-L • 11-5 Overall W-L
7(T). Indiana Hoosiers • 4-4 Conf. W-L • 9-6 Overall W-L

Indiana’s upset win at Iowa last night improved the Hoosiers’ NET Ranking from 55 to 40:

NET RANKINGS 2020-21 – NCAA.com - Through Games on Thursday January 21, 2021

33. Purdue • Big Ten • 11-5
40. Indiana • Big Ten • 9-6

115. Indiana State • MVC • 5-7
122. Notre Dame • ACC • 4-8
129. Butler • Big East • 5-7
158. Ball State • MAC • 6-6
197. Purdue Fort Wayne • Horizon • 6-5
258. IUPUI • Horizon • 3-4
267. Evansville • MVC • 6-8
295. Valparaiso • MVC • 1-9

The Indiana Hoosiers are scheduled to play 11 more Big Ten conference games with 6 of the games coming against AP Top 25 opponents. Indiana then concludes their season with a road game at unranked Purdue on March 6th. That’s a tough road ahead.

While the fortunes of the Indiana teams could change significantly during the next seven weeks, it appears that the state of Indiana’s opportunity to showcase their college basketball teams in the NCAA Tournament has been collectively squandered, if the tournament is played at all. As of today, Indiana still has a big virus problem:

United States Coronavirus Statistics – Worldometer – updated continuously • Indiana Coronavirus Statistics – Worldometer – updated continuously

13. Indiana • 602,000 total cases • 89,411 total cases per 1,000,000 populations (also 13th place in the country)

[gtmoBlue]

With the"100 million vaccinations in 100 days" campaign, it will be July (at minimum) to have 50% of folks vaccinated. Can Gavitt & Co. push the dance back to mid-July/early August?

It will be interesting to see the lengths the NCAA will go, in order to have a tourney (to save itself).

My guess is that Covid puts on a full court press and kicks butts. No NCAA Tournament in 2021.

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

With the"100 million vaccinations in 100 days" campaign, it will be July (at minimum) to have 50% of folks vaccinated. Can Gavitt & Co. push the dance back to mid-July/early August?

It will be interesting to see the lengths the NCAA will go, in order to have a tourney (to save itself).

My guess is that Covid puts on a full court press and kicks butts. No NCAA Tournament in 2021.

Your concerns are shared by the country’s conference commissioners and athletic directors. This lengthy CBS Sports article is well worth a read:

Court Report: COVID-19 rates have conference commissioners anxious over possible midseason shutdown - Matt Norlander - January 21, 2021

Ongoing concern over the season facing a halt in February

Multiple conference commissioners and athletic directors told CBS Sports in the past week-plus that there is a growing sense of nervousness over the stability of the college basketball season -- and all winter collegiate sports -- for the next few weeks.

The reasons for this are two-fold, both of course based around the ominous nature of the coronavirus. The first has to do with the new President of the United States. With Joe Biden now holding office, high-ranking NCAA officials are in wait-and-see mode about monitoring case counts across the country and bracing for the possibility of federal shutdowns that could impact dozens if not hundreds of schools -- prompting a midseason pause in the process.

The NCAA releasing its dates for the men's basketball tournament this week is not making matters easier. While that new release projects confidence, it also poses a rigid scheduling problem if college basketball were induced into a February freeze.

"Obviously the vaccines aren't getting injected as quickly as they can, the virus levels are still spiking all over the country, it's one of those concerns that's out there," Big West commissioner Dan Butterly told me. With vaccinations still not happening at a satisfactory pace and with coronavirus cases still at unsettlingly high rates nationally, the issue is compounded by a second facet, which coaches and commissioners said could be just as threatening: everyday students across the country have returned to college campuses. This has administrators gripping.

From November 25th until this past week, college basketball operated without the general student body on campuses nationwide. Despite this luxury, the sport still was seeing approximately 20% of its games postponed or canceled on a weekly basis. Is that number destined to balloon? At the top of the sport, more than 10 games involving ranked teams have been nixed this week alone.

It's still considered more likely than not that the season continues apace, but no one really knows. In speaking with commissioners and athletic directors, I do get the sense that if an in-season halt did occur and it were substantial enough, the NCAA is prepared to push back the NCAA Tournament into April or May if possible. It can't afford to lose it, and would look to play it in any way and at any time in the spring before not playing it at all. Not having an NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year would be ruinous for college athletics as we know it.

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

More numbers:

NCAA revenue for 2020 down 50% due to pandemic-forced cancellation of basketball tournament - Steve Berkowitz, USA Today - January 25, 2021

The NCAA’s cancellation of last season’s Division I men's basketball tournament because of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a $600 million annual decline in the association’s total revenue for its 2020 fiscal year, its new audited financial statement shows. That’s a decrease of more than 50% compared to 2019.

The document, a copy of which was obtained by USA TODAY Sports, showed a $700 million decline in television and marketing rights revenue, nearly all of which came from the NCAA’s multimedia and marketing rights contract with CBS and Turner. In the association’s 2019 fiscal year, it reported nearly $868 million in such revenue.

The NCAA had been scheduled to receive $827 million from CBS and Turner for the 2020 tournament. According to the notes to the new financial statement, it ended up receiving $113.1 million.

The notes stated that between losses from ticket sales and its TV/marketing rights agreements, "the NCAA lost more than $800 million in revenue" from the men's basketball tournament's cancelation.

Report: NCAA revenue falls by $600M in 2020 after NCAA tournament cancellations - Cassandra Negley, Yahoo! - January 25, 2021

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NCAA Tournament Plans Getting Rave Reviews - BigEast.com – January 7, 2021

The plan is to move the entire tournament to Indianapolis and play it at a variety of sites, including Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts and Bankers Life Fieldhouse, home of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. Other venues include Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse, Purdue’s Mackey Arena, Indiana’s Assembly Hall and the Indiana Farmers Coliseum, the home digs for IUPUI.

Lucas Oil Stadium • Opened: 2008 • Capacity: 70,000

Bankers Life Fieldhouse • Opened: 1999 • Capacity: 17,923

Hinkle Fieldhouse • Opened: 1928 • Capacity: 9,100

Mackey Arena • Opened: 1967 • Capacity: 14,804

Assembly Hall • Opened: 1971 • Capacity: 17,222

Indiana Farmers Coliseum (a.k.a. Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum) • Opened: 1939 • Capacity: 6,800

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Division I Men’s Basketball homepage – NCAA.com


2021 NCAA March Madness bracket preview: Top 16 reveal time, channel – NCAA.com – February 9, 2021

The long wait is almost over — March Madness is approaching for the 2020-21 season. Though plenty can change until the actual 2021 bracket reveal on Sunday, March 14, this Saturday provides a chance to see where things stand through February 12 games. Here's what you need to know about Saturday's top-16 reveal.

The in-season Top 16 will be revealed at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 13, on CBS. During the show, the DI Men's Basketball Committee will unveil what it considers to be the top 16 teams so far this season. A second half hour will air on CBSSN at 1 p.m.

NCAA Tournament 2021: March Madness TV schedule, tipoff times and Selection Sunday announced – CBS Sports – February 10, 2021

Dates and times for Selection Sunday, along with every round of the tournament, is announced

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ATTENDANCE 2019-20 – Post #17 - HLOH thread

An Introduction to the 2020-21 College Basketball Season

3. College Basketball Arenas’ Maximum Allowable Percentage (MAP)

As far as I’m aware, the MAP has not yet been mentioned by anyone in the college basketball media, but it will make its debut if fans are permitted to attend college basketball games in the 2020-21 season. Let me define MAP as: the Maximum Allowable Percentage of the capacity of a college basketball venue which is available for fan attendance, as part of mandatory social-distancing requirements.

A limited number of fans will be allowed to attend 2021 NCAA Tournament games - Matt Norlander, CBS Sports - February 19, 2021

The NCAA announced Friday that "a limited number of fans at the 2021 Division I Men's Basketball Championship, including all rounds and the Final Four" will be permitted. The number will cap venue capacity at 25% across the six venues that will host tournament games this year, all in the state of Indiana and the majority in the city of Indianapolis.

Indiana subsequently announced it would allow a maximum of 500 spectators in its venue for 2021 tournament games.

"The event capacity will include all participants, essential staff and family members of each participating team's student-athletes and coaches and a reduced number of fans," the NCAA said in its statement. "All attendees must wear face coverings and physically distance during the event. Thorough cleaning, disinfecting and safety measures will be a priority in all venues."

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Patrick Ewing has Georgetown on doorstep of NCAA Tournament - David Cobb & Kyle Boone, CBS Sports – March 13, 2021

When Georgetown lost 63-48 at home vs. Creighton and fell to 5-10 overall on Feb. 9, it looked as if the only good case for coach Patrick Ewing to keep his job for a fifth season might be the solid five-man recruiting class he's assembled in the 2021 cycle. The Hoyas appeared to be lost on the court, as they had often during the early years of Ewing's tenure.

But after what Georgetown did on Friday night in a 66-58 Big East Tournament semifinal win over Seton Hall, there is finally an on-court accomplishment for Ewing to tout. The No. 9 seed Hoyas are headed to the Big East Tournament title game for the first time in a decade with their former star center leading the way on the sideline.

That recruiting class -- ranked No. 10 nationally right now by 247Sports -- is still coming, and now there is some tangible progress to pair with the group. Winning Saturday's final is the only way Georgetown (12-12) will qualify for the NCAA Tournament, but even if the Hoyas falter, the late-season turnaround that Ewing has engineered must be held in high regard.

Unlike last season when the Hoyas lost seven in a row to close the year, this team is surging at the right time, and that makes Georgetown and Ewing one of the obvious winners from Friday in college basketball.

Spoiler: Ewing wasn't the sport's only big-name coach to lead a No. 9 seed to within a game of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament as we draw closer to Selection Sunday.

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Georgetown Hoyas claim Big East Tournament crown, punch unlikely ticket to Big Dance - David Cobb & Kyle Boone, CBS Sports – March 14, 2021

Georgetown ripped off four straight wins in New York to earn an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since 2015

Georgetown is officially one of the best stories of the college basketball season after the No. 8 seed Hoyas completed a four-day run through the Big East Tournament by smashing No. 2 seed Creighton 73-48 in Saturday's tournament title game. The victory puts Georgetown into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 and changes the direction of the program under fourth-year coach Patrick Ewing.

Just over a month ago, the Hoyas were 5-10 overall. But they have won eight of their last 10 games and suddenly look like a force to be reckoned with in the NCAA Tournament. Without a win over the BlueJays on Saturday, Georgetown would have had no shot at qualifying for the Big Dance, and the Hoyas played like a team with their season on the line.

Georgetown led 54-23 at one point in the second half as it outscored Creighton 19-2 in points off turnovers and won the paint battle 26-10. Figuring out where to seed the Hoyas will be a challenge for the selection committee. But one thing is clear: if the Hoyas play like they did in the Big East Tournament, they will be tough to beat in the NCAA Tournament.

Start a bracket pool to compete against friends or fill out your bracket for a chance to win a brand new Nissan Rogue and a college basketball dream trip. Get in the action today!

Let's take a look at the complete results from throughout the week at Madison Square Garden. For the updated Big East Tournament bracket, click here.

2021 Big East Tournament Schedule and Scores

Congratulations to the Hoyas and their fans!
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Bubble watch: Whose spots did Georgetown and Oregon State just steal? - Jeff Eisenberg, Yahoo! Sports - March 14, 2021

They're even more anxious in Syracuse, Boise, Wichita and all the other bubble outposts around the nation.

Two bubble teams who were in the NCAA tournament bracket Saturday morning now no longer have a spot.

Georgetown and Oregon State, projected last in their respective leagues before the season, both qualified for the NCAA tournament and wrested bids away from bubble teams. The Hoyas clobbered Creighton on Saturday evening to capture the Big East tournament. Hours later, Oregon State waylaid Colorado to claim the Pac-12 tournament championship.

Those outcomes were nightmare scenarios for bubble teams vying for one of the last at-large spots in the NCAA tournament field. Neither the Hoyas nor Beavers would have made the field of 68 had they lost in their conference tournaments, but by claiming their leagues' automatic bids, they pushed the team they defeated into the at-large pool and shrunk the number of available spots by one.

Even worse for bubble teams, there's still one more bid thief lurking. Cincinnati can doom another projected at-large team to the NIT if it upsets heavily favored Houston in Sunday's American Athletic Conference title game.

Which bubble teams lost their spots to Georgetown and Oregon State on Saturday night? And whose bid rests on Houston's ability to stave off an upset on Sunday afternoon? Here's a look at our projection of which bubble teams just got squeezed out:

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