Lets say its March 7 and Pitt is an NCAAT lock. Skip ACCT?

[Sean Miller Fan]

Growing sentiment that teams may do this to avoid the risk of a COVID outbreak having them miss the NCAAT.

As a Pitt fan, I would say to absolutely skip the ACC Tournament and bubble the team in some Pittsburgh hotel. No class, no leaving their rooms, having floor monitors making sure no one sneaks out, etc. Just your room and the gym for that 10-14 days betwen your last regular season game and first NCAAT game.

On the flipside, Im going to be royally pi$$ed if we need a couple ACCT wins to make it but have to play UVa or FSU who should have opted out.

 

[Pitt2006]

They should just cancel all conference tournaments. It would reward regular season performance for the non power conferences and also likely help the power conferences at the same time for getting their teams in over mid-majors.

 

[PittMBA]

Growing sentiment that teams may do this to avoid the risk of a COVID outbreak having them miss the NCAAT.

As a Pitt fan, I would say to absolutely skip the ACC Tournament and bubble the team in some Pittsburgh hotel. No class, no leaving their rooms, having floor monitors making sure no one sneaks out, etc. Just your room and the gym for that 10-14 days betwen your last regular season game and first NCAAT game.

On the flipside, Im going to be royally pi$$ed if we need a couple ACCT wins to make it but have to play UVa or FSU who should have opted out.

Absolutely opt out if an NCAA lock. The conference tournaments should be essentially bubble busters

 

[TheSpecialSauce]

Growing sentiment that teams may do this to avoid the risk of a COVID outbreak having them miss the NCAAT.

As a Pitt fan, I would say to absolutely skip the ACC Tournament and bubble the team in some Pittsburgh hotel. No class, no leaving their rooms, having floor monitors making sure no one sneaks out, etc. Just your room and the gym for that 10-14 days betwen your last regular season game and first NCAAT game.

On the flipside, Im going to be royally pi$$ed if we need a couple ACCT wins to make it but have to play UVa or FSU who should have opted out.

A team like Gonzaga should absolutely skip the conference tournament. Anybody solidly in the Top 16 should as well.

If you are in the Top 15-30 range, then that is tougher because you could move up and provide an easier path come the Big Dance.

If you are anywhere remotely close to being on the bubble then you have to play.

 

[Ronnyp91]

What’s a tournament lock seed? Playing along, if we’re an 8/9 seed, absolutely play to attempt to move up and avoid the 1 seed in round two.

 

[levance2]

There's 0% chance Pitt is a "lock" so they absolutely should attend the tournament and hope all of the teams above them opt out. Your entire premise is backward.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

There's 0% chance Pitt is a "lock" so they absolutely should attend the tournament and hope all of the teams above them opt out. Your entire premise is backward.

I agree we wont be a lock but the hypothetical should apply to ANY team.

If Louisville is a lock, should they opt out? See, you can do that with any team.

As for the other poster, if we're projected on the 8/9 line, I'd still opt out. There's no guarantee of a seed and if you move down to 10 or 11 by not playing, those are better seeds than 8/9 anyway.

 

[JD1976]

The conference tournaments are major money makers for the conferences between ticket sales, hospitality, sponsorships and ticket sales. There won’t be ticket sales or hospitality this year, but the TV and sponsorship component is a major deal, especially after last year. Bottom line: there is no way that any conference voluntarily postpones its tournament. Now, individual schools opting out I could see happening.

 

[BballinsiderfromPitt]

So you think there’s more of a risk of exposure playing in a bubble type atmosphere at a conference tournament than essentially having a week off to drink with your friends and bang random skanks?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

So you think there’s more of a risk of exposure playing in a bubble type atmosphere at a conference tournament than essentially having a week off to drink with your friends and bang random skanks?

You'd have to bubble/quarantine your players in a local hotel with a floor monitor(s). If not, you might as well go to the conference tournament.

 

[BballinsiderfromPitt]

You'd have to bubble/quarantine your players in a local hotel with a floor monitor(s). If not, you might as well go to the conference tournament.

Lol. So they’re forfeiting their piece of the conference tournament money and then SPENDING money in the middle of a budget crushing pandemic to have probably the same amount of chance of contracting it?

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

On the flipside, Im going to be royally pi$$ed if we need a couple ACCT wins to make it but have to play UVa or FSU who should have opted out.

But what if we need not just a win over Boston College but a win over a good team to improve our resume, and all the good teams have opted out? Will you be royally pi$$en then?

How about this. If they schedule the games, play the games. If you want to quit, quit. There are what, ten or so teams that have already quit on the season? If you don't want to play, join them.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

But what if we need not just a win over Boston College but a win over a good team to improve our resume, and all the good teams have opted out? Will you be royally pi$$en then?

No because they arent going to beat UVa or FSU anyway

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

No because they arent going to beat UVa or FSU anyway

There are more than two good teams in the ACC.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

There are more than two good teams in the ACC.

They are the only non-bubblish teams

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

They are the only non-bubblish teams

Louisville, Virginia Tech and Clemson are all solidly in right now.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Louisville, Virginia Tech and Clemson are all solidly in right now.

Louisville yes. Clemson no. VT is going to slide to the bubble

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Clemson no.

They are in 73 of the 74 brackets listed in the bracket matrix, with an average seed of seven. If the season ended today they would not only be in, they wouldn't even be close to the bubble.

 

[DT_PITT]

There's 0% chance Pitt is a "lock" so they absolutely should attend the tournament and hope all of the teams above them opt out. Your entire premise is backward.

^^^^
The correct answer.

 

[upj87]

Growing sentiment that teams may do this to avoid the risk of a COVID outbreak having them miss the NCAAT.

As a Pitt fan, I would say to absolutely skip the ACC Tournament and bubble the team in some Pittsburgh hotel. No class, no leaving their rooms, having floor monitors making sure no one sneaks out, etc. Just your room and the gym for that 10-14 days betwen your last regular season game and first NCAAT game.

On the flipside, Im going to be royally pi$$ed if we need a couple ACCT wins to make it but have to play UVa or FSU who should have opted out.

if a team that is tasked to play scheduled basketball games for their school chooses not to do so they should they be banned from the NCAA tournament.. there I fixed for ya so on to another one of your stupid suppositions ...maybe go with "if Elanor Roosevelt had wings and could fly would she have bombed Berlin?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

if a team that is tasked to play scheduled basketball games for their school chooses not to do so they should they be banned from the NCAA tournament.. there I fixed for ya so on to another one of your stupid suppositions ...maybe go with "if Elanor Roosevelt had wings and could fly would she have bombed Berlin?

In the COVID era, yea right. Any "lock" should not risk playing in an NCAAT. Even Chris Mack said he'd consider skipping it they were a lock but he'd decide with the players input.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Lol. So they’re forfeiting their piece of the conference tournament money and then SPENDING money in the middle of a budget crushing pandemic to have probably the same amount of chance of contracting it?

The ACC does not issue Pitt a check for ACCT money. They give them 1 check for ALL revenue combined (football and basketball). Its unlikely that teams not playing will cost the ACC anything. Its unlikely ESPN would dock the ACC's revenue due to airing a few less ACCT games. Did they do that when Lou and Syr missed the tourney? Also, with no fans in Greensboro and the fact the ACC pays for food and lodging for conference tournaments, the tournament wouldn't even be a big revenue generator, anyway.

But to answer your question, absolutely yes, you have to pay up to quarantine these kids at the Holiday Inn Express or wherever (or my idea would be somewhere off campus like Moon or the North Hills) and allow them only to leave their floor when the team bus picks them uo for practice. Im sure many teams will do this. No one wants to forfeit an NCAAT game.

 

[BballinsiderfromPitt]

The ACC does not issue Pitt a check for ACCT money. They give them 1 check for ALL revenue combined (football and basketball). Its unlikely that teams not playing will cost the ACC anything. Its unlikely ESPN would dock the ACC's revenue due to airing a few less ACCT games. Did they do that when Lou and Syr missed the tourney? Also, with no fans in Greensboro and the fact the ACC pays for food and lodging for conference tournaments, the tournament wouldn't even be a big revenue generator, anyway.

But to answer your question, absolutely yes, you have to pay up to quarantine these kids at the Holiday Inn Express or wherever (or my idea would be somewhere off campus like Moon or the North Hills) and allow them only to leave their floor when the team bus picks them uo for practice. Im sure many teams will do this. No one wants to forfeit an NCAAT game.

I don’t know the ins and outs of contracts but I would assume not playing games that you’re contractually obligated to (ACC tournament games) could be considered a breach of contract and a non payment from the ACC or ESPN or whoever.

Until someone actually opts out of one of these tournaments, you’re basing your entire premise on hypotheticals.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I don’t know the ins and outs of contracts but I would assume not playing games that you’re contractually obligated to (ACC tournament games) could be considered a breach of contract and a non payment from the ACC or ESPN or whoever.

Until someone actually opts out of one of these tournaments, you’re basing your entire premise on hypotheticals.

I get that but these are rare times. Did ESPN dock the ACC last year for not playing the final 7 games of the tournament? I doubt it. How much did they dock the league for having 1 less 1st Round game when Syr and Lou didnt play? Even if they did, we arent talking about huge amounts of lost revenue for 1 school here.

 

[BballinsiderfromPitt]

I get that but these are rare times. Did ESPN dock the ACC last year for not playing the final 7 games of the tournament? I doubt it. How much did they dock the league for having 1 less 1st Round game when Syr and Lou didnt play? Even if they did, we arent talking about huge amounts of lost revenue for 1 school here.

That was when no one understood anything about the virus. Now that there have been almost zero documented cases of in play transmission and it can be very easily prevented with discipline.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

it can be very easily prevented with discipline.

Riiiiiiiiight. Nobody is preventing it.

 

[BballinsiderfromPitt]

Riiiiiiiiight. Nobody is preventing it.

When was the last positive test in Pitt’s program? 2 months ago?

 

[JD1976]

Also, with no fans in Greensboro and the fact the ACC pays for food and lodging for conference tournaments, the tournament wouldn't even be a big revenue generator, anyway.

You do realize that New York Life has the title sponsorship for the tournament, and while I don't know what they are paying for that total these days, I do know for a fact that New York Life was paying over $4 million for their sponsorship of the Big East tourney more than a decade ago. We can assume that figure is at least 20-30% higher now. So yeah, it is a big revenue generator.

 

[BballinsiderfromPitt]

You do realize that New York Life has the title sponsorship for the tournament, and while I don't know what they are paying for that total these days, I do know for a fact that New York Life was paying over $4 million for their sponsorship of the Big East tourney more than a decade ago. We can assume that figure is at least 20-30% higher now. So yeah, it is a big revenue generator.

Don’t use facts! He’ll come back with his opinions!

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

You do realize that New York Life has the title sponsorship for the tournament, and while I don't know what they are paying for that total these days, I do know for a fact that New York Life was paying over $4 million for their sponsorship of the Big East tourney more than a decade ago. We can assume that figure is at least 20-30% higher now. So yeah, it is a big revenue generator.

They pay ESPN that money. That's the arrangement.

So will ESPN pay the ACC less last year and potentially this year due to fewer tournament games?

 

[JD1976]

They pay ESPN that money. That's the arrangement.

So will ESPN pay the ACC less last year and potentially this year due to fewer tournament games?

You are missing the point. It doesn’t matter who the money is paid to. Every conference, individual school and venue has a rights holder that is selling partnerships on their behalf and collecting the revenue. Ultimately, that revenue goes into the overall equation. And make no mistake, an event like the ACC Tournament with a $5 or $6 million title sponsorship valuation is critical to making sure the math works for everyone. So it’s silly to think that all parties will voluntarily decide not to hold it. Same for every other conference tournament down to the MVC or C-USA level.

 

[JD1976]

So will ESPN pay the ACC less last year and potentially this year due to fewer tournament games?

And to answer this part... no it’s not likely they would pay the ACC less because they will be able to provide make-good advertising to clients during the rest of the tourney, or perhaps other tourneys on the ESPN networks.