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A College Basketball Bubble? It could happen!
Yesterday was Labor Day, so surprise, surprise, there wasn’t much new going around about Mizzou or college sports in general. However, one particularly juicy rumor dropped that could have some implications for the college basketball season.
With the success had by the NBA, NHL and WNBA, the NCAA is reportedly considering implementing bubble sites for the 2020-2021 college basketball season.
The NBA has the ideal setup at Disney World, but college basketball might be better suited to follow the NHL’s lead.
Hockey’s two bubbles — Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta — cordoned off areas enclosing the arena and several nearby hotels. All personnel entering are tested and strict protocols are in place for vendors delivering food and packages into the bubbles.
Similar bubbles for college basketball could be set up at smaller resorts, cities with arenas and hotels nearby, or Division II or III schools with arenas not being used during the pandemic.
So where does that leave Missouri, who plays in the Midwest, but competes in the Southeastern conference? It feels like there might end up being a Missouri-based bubble — possibly Kansas City or St. Louis or a combination of the two? — for the non-conference schedule and then a more eastern focused bubble in the SEC. Maybe Knoxville if the SEC decides to do more than one bubble site or Atlanta if they stick to one?
Regardless, there’s still some time before the NCAA has to make a final call on their start date, so there’s sure to be more rumors to leak in the meantime.
Yesterday at Rock M
More Links:
- Gabe DeArmond did his regular Monday morning thoughts at PowerMizzou, including some interesting suggestions on how the lack of a football season could hurt Big 10 programs in recruiting. Sean Williams also did a small overview of the Top 12 schools in 5-star, St. Louis wide receiver Luther Burden’s recruitment. All of the above is for subscribers only.
- Here’s a good reminder for everyone hopped up on the Trevor Lawrence stuff:
Well..... the most vocal high profile white quarterback of a top five team, sure. But when you think "vocal" and "recent years", you have to start with the 2015 Missouri Tigers football team going on strike and getting the University President fired. That's the top of the list. https://t.co/knCQyUtY3C
— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) September 7, 2020
Even then, the team only got involved after previous efforts from student groups not involved with athletics.
- How is Mizzou looking to take care of its student population, which is still exploding with COVID-19, you may ask? Instituting better testing protocol? Nope! Influencers!
- Is 2020 the weirdest college football season ever? The resignation of Southern Miss’ head coach Jay Hopson one game into the season is certainly helping the case!
- If you’re looking to sign up for ESPN+, Rock M Nation now has an affiliate link: click Here for ESPN+ Now! (** RockMNation has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though RockMNation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.**)