Tag: ncaa tournament

2020 NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket. What Might Have Happened?

What if the 2020 NCAA Basketball Tournament went off like normal? What the bracket might have been, and what would’ve happened in each game?

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What if the 2020 NCAA Basketball Tournament went off like normal? What the bracket might have been, and what would’ve happened in each game?

Let’s just pretend this whole global nightmare thing didn’t happen, and let’s just assume that the 2020 NCAA Basketball Tournament went off as normal.

Everyone is healthy, there are crowds, there are bands, everyone is playing – including Duke and Kansas – and there’s all the fun of what’s normally this most glorious time on the sports calendar.

We’re going to play this out over the next several days from the First Four right up to the national championship with our own brackets, seedings, and game outcomes.

Let’s have some fun.

We try to figure out what the best overall matchups might be, throw in games that would make geographic sense, NET Rankings, and – sorry for being boring – we go chalk on who the conference tournament champions might have been.

And then it’s Game On.

Just so there’s absolutely no confusion – of course the real NCAA Tournament is cancelled – these are all our seedings, matchups, lines, brackets and projections. Nothing about this comes from the NCAA selection committee. 

The 2020 NCAA Basketball Tournament bracket might have been (trying to get it as close to the pin as possible) …

First Four Out

-Wichita State, Texas, Northern Iowa, NC State

2020 NCAA Basketball Tournament First Four. What Might Have Happened?

11 Xavier vs. 11 Stanford

Game Site: Dayton, OH
Line: Xavier -3.5, o/u: 133
Game Analysis, What Would’ve Happened COMING
Final Score: COMING

12 UCLA vs. 12 Liberty

Game Site: Dayton, OH
Line: UCLA -5.5 o/u: 128.5
Game Analysis, What Would’ve Happened COMING
Final Score: COMING

16 Robert Morris vs. Prairie View A&M

Game Site: Dayton, OH
Line: Robert Morris -7.5, o/u: 138
Game Analysis, What Would’ve Happened COMING
Final Score: COMING

16 NC Central vs. Siena

Game Site: Dayton, OH
Line: Siena -8.5, o/u: 141
Game Analysis, What Would’ve Happened COMING
Final Score: COMING

2020 NCAA Basketball Tournament First Round. What Might Have Happened?

2020 NCAA TOURNAMENT EAST REGION

1 Dayton vs. 16 North Dakota State

Game Site: Cleveland, Ohio
Line: Dayton -18.5, o/u: 157
Game Analysis, What Would’ve Happened COMING
Final Score: COMING

8 Florida vs. 9 Arizona State

Game Site: Cleveland, Ohio
Line: Florida -3.5, o/u: 144.5
Game Analysis, What Would’ve Happened COMING
Final Score: COMING

5 Auburn vs. 12 UCLA/Liberty

Game Site: Greensboro, NC
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
Game Analysis, What Would’ve Happened COMING
Final Score: COMING

4 Louisville vs. 13 New Mexico State

Game Site: Greensboro, NC
Line: Louisville -5.5, o/u: 137
Game Analysis, What Would’ve Happened COMING
Final Score: COMING

6 Illinois vs. 11 Xavier/Stanford

Game Site: Greensboro, NC
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
Game Analysis, What Would’ve Happened COMING
Final Score: COMING

3 Duke vs. 14 North Texas

Game Site: Greensboro, NC
Line: Duke -21, o/u: 138.5
Game Analysis, What Would’ve Happened COMING
Final Score: COMING

7 Iowa vs. 10 ETSU

Game Site: St. Louis, MO
Line: Iowa -3, o/u: 140.5
Game Analysis, What Would’ve Happened COMING
Final Score: COMING

2 Creighton vs. 15 Eastern Washington

Game Site: St. Louis, MO
Line: Creighton -13, o/u: 146
Game Analysis, What Would’ve Happened COMING
Final Score: COMING

NEXT: 2020 NCAA TOURNAMENT MIDWEST REGION

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NCAA cancels March Madness due to growing concern over coronavirus

With the growing concern over the spread of coronavirus, the NCAA announced on Thursday that it is cancelling men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. This news came one day after all Power-Five conferences canceled their tournaments and the NBA …

With the growing concern over the spread of coronavirus, the NCAA announced on Thursday that it is cancelling men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

This news came one day after all Power-Five conferences canceled their tournaments and the NBA suspended play indefinitely.

Globally, we are seeing similar precautions taken with certain leagues cancelling, suspending and postponing games, or playing games but without fans in attendance.

“This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to the spread of the pandemic and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during the academic year given the ongoing decisions by other entities,” the NCAA said in statement.

As for Georgia, the Bulldogs did not stand much of a chance to make the NCAA Tournament regardless, however, there was a slither of hope remaining – Georgia would have had to win the SEC Championship if it wanted to make the tourney.

Georgia’s season ended on a win, though, as the Dawgs beat Ole Miss in the first round of the conference tournament. UGA was slated to play Florida, a team it had lost to twice already this season, on Thursday.

Georgia finished the season with a 16-16 mark.

As for Anthony Edwards, Georgia’s superstar freshman, he finished his season averaging 19.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

SEC Football Basketball School Rankings: Hoops and Helmets 2019-2020

Which SEC schools had the best and worst years in the two major sports – football and men’s basketball?

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Which SEC schools had the best and worst years in the two major sports – football and men’s basketball? Which fan bases got the glory, and which ones didn’t have any fun?

Contact @PeteFiutak

On the field and court – whose fans had the most fun?

Of course every school has sports outside of the big two that matter and generate revenue, but when it comes to what athletic departments need, it’s really all about college football and men’s basketball.

Which SEC schools had the best and worst seasons?

Here’s how these rankings work.

1) The top-ranked schools with teams that went to a bowl game and would’ve played in the NCAA Tournament.

2) The next group had stronger football seasons and were okay in basketball. The superstar basketball schools get credit, but football is football, especially in the SEC. Football is the bigger revenue generator.

3) One or the other. Usually there’s a disparity with one good season in one sport an a clunker in the other. It’s sort of a catch-all before …

4) The disasters. No bowl game, there wouldn’t have been a trip to the NCAA Tournament, no fun.

The worst-to-best SEC schools in 2019-2020 in college football and college basketball …

SEC Hoops and Helmets: Losers In Both Sports

These schools suffered the indignity of failing to come up with a winning season in either of the two major sports. The fans didn’t get to have any fun.

14. Vanderbilt

Football: 3-9 overall, 1-7 in conference, 7th in SEC East

Basketball: 11-21 overall, 3-15 in conference, 14th in SEC

How Were The Football/Basketball Seasons? The football team never got anything going. There was a close win over a sleepy Missouri team, and that was about it with no offense and blowout loss after blowout loss.

Football was bad, but basketball was worse. At least the Commodores didn’t finish dead last in the conference in football. The hoops side finally won two SEC game in the final three, but overall it lost 17 of its last 20 games.

13. Ole Miss

Football: 4-8 overall, 2-6 in conference, 6th in SEC West

Basketball: 15-17 overall, 6-12 in conference, 12th in SEC

How Were The Football/Basketball Seasons? The basketball team started out well and crashed badly. Just when there was a chance to pivot – at 13-11 on a three-game winning streak – it all went wrong with six losses in the final eight games.

While the bad football season led to landing Lane Kiffin, getting there was rough. Losing five games in the last six was rough enough, but the way it dropped the Egg Bowl at Mississippi State – the peeing dog antics and missed extra point – made it uglier.

NEXT: SEC Hoops and Helmets: Okay In One Sport, Not The Other

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Referee who worked CAA tournament tested positive for the coronavirus

A referee who worked the Colonial Athletic Association conference tournament has tested positive for the coronavirus.

According to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), a referee who worked the conference’s tournament has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The CAA announced the news on its website Thursday, saying that the referee hadn’t shown symptoms until 72 hours after working a game. The CAA has said, “but out of an abundance of caution the conference has made the involved institutions and tournament personnel aware of the situation so they can take proper precautionary measures.”

The news came shortly after the NCAA announced the men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournament was canceled.

Before the NCAA canceled its yearly tournament Thursday, several Division I college basketball conferences announced their conference tournaments were canceled.

Health officials have recommended that public gatherings with more than 250 people be canceled or postponed to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

The CAA finished its tournament Tuesday, with Hofstra defeating Northeastern, 70-61.

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The NCAA Tournament has been canceled: This was not how it was supposed to end

In a move that has felt inevitable for the last 24 hours, the NCAA has officially canceled both the 2020 men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments due to the coronavirus outbreak. This did not feel like a choice being made, but rather a global …

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In a move that has felt inevitable for the last 24 hours, the NCAA has officially canceled both the 2020 men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments due to the coronavirus outbreak.  This did not feel like a choice being made, but rather a global health necessity in a time of crisis. It had to be done, but that does not make it any easier for so many of us to handle.

A 24-hour chain reaction has seen the canceling of nearly all collegiate spring sports, including those in the Big Ten Conference. After Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus on Wednesday night before the Jazz played the Oklahoma City Thunder, the NBA quickly suspended their season. With the amount of unknowns surrounding this virus and its scope in the United States nearly all major leagues and events have followed suit. The news about the NCAA tournament also comes just a day after NCAA President Mark Emmert announced that the tournament would go on, but without fans. The situation is clearly changing rapidly.

There are much bigger issues to face in the days to come than whether or not we get to enjoy basketball in March, however, that doesn’t take away from how meaningful this event is to so many of us. My first thoughts are with the seniors who get the ending that nobody deserves. Brevin Pritzl and Michael Ballard suited up as Badgers for the last time at Assembly Hall this past Saturday, and they would have never known it. Here are Pritzl’s own words:

At least he and Ballard went out on top. Wisconsin basketball gave us memories that we will never forget in the month of February and March. At least the eight-game winning streak stays in tact. This team will forever be Big Ten Champions.

There are seniors in nearly every locker room in America that will never again have the pride of representing their university on the basketball court. Every year, the crushing defeats that hundreds of seniors face in March once their season ends is heartbreaking enough. This time they had the hope of the big dance taken away before they had the chance at their one shining moment. There was nothing they could do to change that.. Then, you think of how many jobs are affected by not only the NCAA canceling their tournament, but when the entertainment and sports industries shut down. In truth, the spiral of how many lives are affected by the canceling of the tournament never ends. These games, this time of the year, this culmination of college basketball is what we wait for all season. We make brackets, we watch old one shining moment videos (at least I do), we find our cinderella, we hunker down and just enjoy basketball in its purest, wildest form. It’s beautiful. It brings me, and so many of us, more happiness than any sporting event all year long. My only hope is that once this is all over, whenever it is over, we find an entirely new beauty and meaning in sports and the hope it gives us. We will be here, waiting to dance again when we get the chance.

Kansas has best claim to the national championship after NCAA tournament cancellation

But should they?

Over the past 24 hours, the decision seemed increasingly inevitable. On Thursday, it happened.

NCAA president Mark Emmert announced that the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments — in addition to all winter and spring championships — would be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

That means no brackets, no March Madness, no Cinderellas and no national championship game. But should it also mean no champion at all?

This NCAA tournament looked to be as wide open as any tournament in recent memory, but one team had certainly separated itself from the rest of the pack over the past couple months. And that was Kansas.

The Jayhawks, winners of 16 straight games and a Big 12 regular season title, went into the week as the unanimous No. 1 team in every major poll. In fact, Kansas was such a lock as the No. 1 overall seed that ESPN’s bracket guru Joe Lunardi said that Kansas could have skipped the Big 12 tournament entirely (welp) and still get the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament.

If there ever was a team that could go full UCF and claim a championship this season, it’s Kansas.

When you’re looking at the criteria that the NCAA tournament committee uses for its selections — NET, ESPN strength of record, BPI, KPI, KenPom, Sagarin — Kansas came in at No. 1 in every one of those. The Jayhawks will end the season as the unanimous No. 1 in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches Polls.

It won’t be a popular move from every non-Kansas fan, but should Kansas go ahead and hang a banner in Allen Fieldhouse, it would be justifiable given the circumstances. After all, college football spent roughly 125 years of deciding its champion with polls. This wouldn’t be any different.

Kansas — just as South Carolina did on the women’s side with Dawn Staley — has the body of work to back up a championship. Whether the NCAA decides to recognize a champion this way remains to be seen, but Kansas should go ahead and do it anyway — especially given the looming cloud of NCAA sanctions.

That idea is already being floated around amongst college basketball fans.

The season won’t have its One Shining Moment, but it absolutely should have a champion.

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Kristian Doolittle sends out goodbye after college basketball season abruptly ends

Kristian Doolittle’s career at Oklahoma has come to an abrupt end.

With the cancellation of all NCAA winter and spring championships and the Big 12 Tournament being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Kristian Doolittle’s career at Oklahoma has come to an abrupt end.

Doolittle took to social media to address the unprecedented situation.

The Sooners were scheduled to play against West Virginia Thursday night at 8 p.m. CT but a string of cancellations and postponements by both the NCAA and Big 12 has ended college basketball for the 2019-20 season.

Doolittle’s last game as a Sooner came in Ft. Worth last Saturday against TCU. Down 19-points in the second half, Doolittle was a key part of Oklahoma’s comeback as Austin Reaves’ 41-point performance led the way.

Doolittle nailed back to back three’s on consecutive possessions for the Sooners to cut the led from 13 to seven at the seven-minute mark. Doolittle also knocked down a pair of free throws with about four minutes left to keep the deficit in the single-digits. From there, Reaves and Brady Manek took over offensively to unknowingly send off the lone Sooner senior off with a win.

In his career at Oklahoma, Doolittle averaged 10.2 points per game, joining the 1,000-point club earlier this season and 6.8 rebounds per game. Doolittle was named All-Big 12 First Team earlier this week and was named Big 12 Most Improved Player and All-Big 12 Third Team for the 2018-19 season.

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The NCAA canceled March Madness and Twitter didn’t take it well

There will be no NCAA tournament in 2020, and all other winter and spring NCAA championships have been canceled.

One day after announcing that March Madness would proceed around the country with no fans in attendance, the NCAA announced on Thursday that the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, along with all winter and spring NCAA championships, have been canceled. 2020 will be the first year since a tournament was introduced to determine the men’s college basketball champion in 1939 that there will not be a championship tournament.

The announcement came hours after many major college conferences canceled their ongoing conference tournaments on Thursday. After the ACC tournament was called off minutes before the first game of the day was set to tip off, Duke University announced that all athletics activities have been suspended by the school. Kansas, which has the top men’s basketball team in the nation and would have entered the tournament as a likely top overall seed, also announced that athletics have been suspended.

College basketball fans are understandably upset, and the 2020 men’s college tournament was projected to be one of the most unpredictable we’ve ever seen. The cancellation of all winter and spring championships is heartbreaking for athletes in their senior years across the nation, but the collective health of the public needs to be made a top priority in such uncertain times.

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Big Ten cancels all athletic events through the end of the academic year

The move comes as the NCAA Tournament is canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic

College sports are shutting down for the time being.

In addition to the cancellation of all NCAA championships, including the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, the Big Ten Conference has announced all conference and non-conference events will be canceled through the end of the academic year. This is all due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The conference has also announced a moratorium on all recruiting events, both on-campus and off, for the foreseeable future.

The full statement released by the conference reads as follows, “The Big Ten Conference announced today that in addition to the Men’s Basketball Tournament it will be canceling all conference and non-conference competitions through the end of the academic year, including spring sports that compete beyond the academic year, and participation in all NCAA tournaments and competitions. In addition, the Conference has announced a moratorium on all on- and off-campus recruiting activities for the foreseeable future.

“The Big Ten Conference will use this time to work with the appropriate medical experts and institutional leadership to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The main priority of the Big Ten Conference continues to be the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans and media as we continue to monitor all developing and relevant information on the COVID-19 virus.”

The move comes as sports are being shut down across the United States and world. The NBA suspended its season after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. The MLB and MLS followed suit Thursday morning, as has professional tennis. Conference tournaments have been canceled across the country, as have high school postseason tournaments. Arizona State, Duke and Kansas were among the first college programs to shut down all athletics, essentially withdrawing from any potential tournament. The entire Atlantic Coast Conference suspended athletics mid-day Thursday, as did the Mountain West. More conference are expected to follow suit.

We will have more on this story as it develops.

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March Madness, other Big Ten events cancelled

With escalating coronavirus concerns, Winter 2020 sports have been cancelled.

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With all of the escalating concerns over the new strain of coronavirus (COVID-19), it was just a matter of time before the big dance became a casualty.

The NBA and NHL postponed the remainder of their seasons, and just minutes before Michigan and Rutgers tipped off, the Big Ten Tournament was also cancelled.

While the NCAA had announced that the tournament would continue, just limited with essential personnel and no spectators only, given the other events, it was due to follow suit  with March Madness. And on Thursday afternoon, that came to pass, with the NCAA Tournament being cancelled in earnest, per a release.

But that’s not all.

The Big Ten, as well as the NCAA, is taking all sports off the hook, canceling games for the non-revenue and revenue athletics alike, with the B1G announcing that it would reassess at the end of the semester.

The Big Ten Conference announced today that in addition to the Men’s Basketball Tournament it will be canceling all conference and non-conference competitions through the end of the academic year, including spring sports that compete beyond the academic year, and participation in all NCAA tournaments and competitions. In addition, the Conference has announced a moratorium on all on- and off-campus recruiting activities for the foreseeable future.

The Big Ten Conference will use this time to work with the appropriate medical experts and institutional leadership to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The main priority of the Big Ten Conference continues to be the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans and media as we continue to monitor all developing and relevant information on the COVID-19 virus.

The NCAA is taking all winter and spring championships off the table.

Thus concludes Michigan’s men’s and women’s basketball for the 2019-20 season. While it’s not optimal, the safety of the athletes involved certainly outweighs the risks of catching and potentially spreading a virus that has yet to be contained.