Playing NCAA tourney vital despite maddening march to it
coaches in the forefront of pears to be on the way, said John Tauer, the coach everyone’s mind, but with there’s a good chance that at St. Thomas, the Minnean unspoken belief that the in March, fans and bands sota school that is moving As more than 300 teams show really does need to go and mascots will largely from Division III to Diviprepare to start a season on. miss out. But the reality is, sion I. “It’s a complicated that will look nothing like The end game is the 68the people college basketquestion that every school any before it, the conversateam extravaganza known ball really needs at the areis going to answer differtion isn’t so much about as March Madness, the nas are the TV crews. ently.” who will be cutting down event that was wiped off CBS and Turner Sports So, how to get from Nothe nets at the end of the calendar eight months are scheduled to pay vember to March? Texas averaged a Big 12March Madness as much as ago in a stunningly rapid around $800 million this The Ivy League has alworst 64.1 points and11.6 asit whether anyone will cut turn of events as the seriseason to televise Ameriready bagged it, canceling sists per game last season. down the nets at all. ousness of the pandemic ca’s most frenetic sports all winter sports, which But over 37 percent of If some team, any team, set off alarms across the celebration for three means there will be no Harthose points came off 3s, does climb a ladder in IndiU.S. It cost the NCAA weeks each March and vard or Yale come tournaand despite some miseraanapolis — and the top canaround $375 million, and April. That’s on top of the ment time, and none of ble shooting performancdidates include the usuals, sent shockwaves around millions the biggest conferthose eminently entertaines, the Longhorns ranked with No. 1 Gonzaga, Duke, the entire college sports ences generate in media ing stories about how fifth among Big 12 teams in Kentucky and Kansas landscape. revenue during the regular smart guys can play hoops, 3-too.pointpercentage.amongthem—thencon-“Thebottomlineisthatseason.
Still, perimeter woes sider the season a success. American higher educaMost of it is money earMost everyone else is have been a staple of Anything short of that, tion, not just athletics, is marked for distribution by planning a season. Many Smart’s teams at Texas. But and nothing less than the hemorrhaging like never the NCAA and the conferteams are planning shorter there’s simply too much future of college sports before,” Duke athletic diences to the schools, which road trips and a smaller talent on this roster for that could hang in the balance. rector Kevin White said combine hoops and footfootprint. No trip’s success trend to continue. This is the new world earlier this fall to the U.S. ball revenue to fund small— not even that of a quick
Texas has several players created by a COVID-19 criOlympic and Paralympic er sports in their probus ride — will be taken for capable of penetrating, colsis that is mushrooming to Committee, of which he is grams. A staggering 116 of granted. Testing protocols lapsing the defense and more than 190,000 new a member. those programs have been are in place and all particikicking out to shooters cases a day across America The NCAA is already cut from 34 schools at the pants will need to be able along the wing. Emphasizjust as college basketball making plans to turn this Division I level since the to adjust on the fly. ing those set-up passes and gets set to tip off its season year’s postseason into pandemic hit, according to “We don’t know a lot of knocking down those clean Wednesday. something much different, the USOPC, whose very things,” Duke coach Mike or semi-clean looks would Teams will play truncatand much less, than it has ability to field an Olympic Krzyzewski said. “But we help keep the floor from ed schedules — many cut been in the past — proposteam is largely dependent know we’re going to have shrinking, which would from 31 to 27 or 25 games — ing to hold all games in a on the college system. March Madness. We know limit the effectiveness of a after truncated preseasingle city, most likely Indi“When you look around we’re going to have a reguslashing threat like Brown. sons. It’s a shrunken, everanapolis, which is where the country, this has potenlar season. We just don’t shifting and still perilous the Final Four is already tial to force some schools know much about both — grid laid out with the scheduled for April 3-5. to recalibrate what they’re and it’s a hell of a way to health of players and Though a vaccine ap- capable of supporting,” run a railroad.”