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Good morning.
Well, it looks like the media isn’t going to stop with this. Yesterday Pete Thamel wrote that the NCAA is under enormous pressure to do something about the NCAA Tournament, after numerous colleges and universities announced that they’re cancelling classes or shifting to online classes for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Dan Wolken wrote that we shouldn’t play the NCAA Tournament at all because of coronavirus concerns.
These arguments might go over better if it felt like the people making them understood that cancelling these events is a very big deal to a lot of people. Instead, there almost seems to be a certain amount of glee in proposals to cancel it. And rarely are the student-athletes actually considered, or this would be a stronger point against cancellation (after the Ivy League actually did go ahead and cancel its conference tournament):
Ivy League players file petition after tournament cancellation, decrying “hypocrisy of our Ivy League presidents.” Spoke to @PennBasketball and @PennWBB players filled with “anger” and “sadness” toward Ivy League decision. Raw emotion. https://t.co/qmTlBpnkuQ
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 10, 2020
Yeah. Pretty much.
Here’s the deal: I can very much see the NCAA Tournament being played in empty arenas. Cancelling it is a different matter, though. Aside from all this, if we’re all being told to stay home and self-isolate and socially distance ourselves from everyone else, just what the hell are we supposed to do with ourselves, anyway? (Especially since most of the people calling for the NCAA Tournament to be cancelled are also calling for other sports leagues to do the same. I ask: do these people actually care about sports or are they just gleefully mocking those of us who do?)
Anyway, Vanderbilt apparently isn’t going to have concessions at athletic events for the foreseeable future. Thanks, coronavirus!
Lacrosse plays Notre Dame today at 1:00 PM CT, and baseball plays Toledo at 5:00 PM CT on the SEC Network+. Both times have moved due to expected inclement weather.
And the SEC Tournament tips off today at Bridgestone Arena — and, for the third year in a row, Vanderbilt is playing on Wednesday night. The Commodores will play Arkansas at approximately 8:30 PM CT, or about 30 minutes after the finish of the Georgia-Ole Miss game. Both games will be televised on the SEC Network.
Bad Gambling Advice
Georgia vs. Ole Miss (6:00 PM CT, SEC Network): Georgia +4, Under 144
Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas (8:30 PM CT, SEC Network): Vanderbilt +9, Over 146