ACC's NCAA Tournament Plan Not Likely to Happen
On Wednesday, the ACC's 15 men's basketball coaches unanimously adopted a propsal that would expand the 2021 NCAA Tournament to include all eligible Division I teams.
It's an intriguing plan that has some merit given the cancellation of this year's tournament and the uncertainties surrounding the coming regular season because of the coronavirus pandemic. It's also been great fodder for sports talk show hosts, columnists and fans across the country.
And it's actually doable logistically, despite the protestations of prominant national figures such as Joe Lunardi -- who would essentially be out of a job with every team already guaranteed a spot in the bracket.
That having been said, it's probably not a good idea to start getting your hopes up for the most super sized dose of March Madness in college basketball history.
Dave Gavitt, the NCAA's senior vice-president for basketball, threw a bucket of ice water onto the ACC's plan with a statement issued Thursday.
"Every college basketball team's goal is to play in the NCAA tournament because everone loves March Madness," Gavitt's statement said. "Certainly we missed it this year and can't wait for 2021.
"While all who care about the game are entitled to their oppinion, and we'll always listen respectfully, at this time we are not working on any contingency plan that involves expanding the tournament field."
It is still not known when the 2020-21 basketball season will begin.
The current start date is Nov. 10, but that's unlikely to happen. According to published reports, the NCAA Division I Council is expected to vote on a proposal next week that would set a Nov. 25 start date. But even that could be ambitious, given the potential for COVID-19 spikes and the fact that some conferences -- including the Pac-12 -- have already canceled all athletic events for the remainder of the calendar year.
The uncertainty of when and how the season will take place is a big reason why the ACC coaches came up with their proposal.
“This is not a regular season,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement of his own. “It is clearly an irregular season that will require something different. Our sport needs to be agile and creative. Most importantly, an all-inclusive postseason tournament will allow a unique and unprecedented opportunity for every team and every student-athlete to compete for a national championship.”
NC State's Kevin Keatts issued his own statement on the subject, citing safety as a reason for his support of an all-inclusive NCAA Tournament.
"I believe making this move gives us the best environment to incentivize every program to implement the safest playing conditions for the sport we all love," he said. "Given everything that players acorss the country have been through over the past six months, I feel it's in the best interest of the student-athlete experience to give all teams an opportunity to be a part of the NCAA Tournament this season."
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