The NCAA has released the plans for what will happen if a team has to pull out of March Madness because of coronavirus.
The NCAA announced the following five items when describing how the potential disaster of a situation will be handled:
- Once the bracket is finalized and released, teams will not be reseeded, nor will the bracket change.
- Reasonable efforts will be made to ensure a full field is in place before the start of the championship. No replacement teams will be introduced after the championship begins.
- Every participating conference should have the opportunity for a minimum of one team in the championship field.
- Beyond the goal of having at least one team from every conference, replacement teams must be among the best teams being considered for an at-large bid.
- Replacement teams will only be placed into the tournament within 48 hours of the field being set.
Overall, it seems like a great template for the NCAA to work with. It allows issues to be resolved in the first two days after the field is set and then we roll. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
If a team drops out, then a team drops out. It doesn’t do anything to stop or slow down the rest of the field from playing.
After the tournament was canceled in 2020, we have to do whatever is necessary to make sure the games are held in March.
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Now, the more interesting question is what will happen if a team in the championship game has COVID issues.
Would a delay happen if that scenario unfolds? They can’t crown a champ without a game, right? Delaying would be the only option.
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The start of the tournament truly can’t get here fast enough. That much is for sure. I’m ready to pop open a few cold beers.