Think about this.
There is zero incentive for either play here. Both are locked in as 1 seeds. The greatest threat to a Final 4 run is COVID.
If UM or Gonzaga (but especially UM since the tournament is the weekend before the selection show) have an outbreak due to the conference title, we're likely out of the field. Michigan has had zero positive cases, which is the result of incredible hard work but also shows that we absolutely could have an outbreak since it hasn't happened yet. At the same time, there has to be concern that if you didn't play for a week that you'd be rusty for the NCAA tournament. And as MHoops pointed out, if you played a team who wasn't going to the tournament, that team would have no incentive to abide by strict COVID protocols and you could put your team in more jeopardy than playing in a conference tournament.
So why don't UM and Gonzaga agree to play one game on the Saturday before the Selection Show -- you can stay sharp and play a team which has great incentive to also abide by COVID protocols. What is the downside to this?
There is zero incentive for either play here. Both are locked in as 1 seeds. The greatest threat to a Final 4 run is COVID.
If UM or Gonzaga (but especially UM since the tournament is the weekend before the selection show) have an outbreak due to the conference title, we're likely out of the field. Michigan has had zero positive cases, which is the result of incredible hard work but also shows that we absolutely could have an outbreak since it hasn't happened yet. At the same time, there has to be concern that if you didn't play for a week that you'd be rusty for the NCAA tournament. And as MHoops pointed out, if you played a team who wasn't going to the tournament, that team would have no incentive to abide by strict COVID protocols and you could put your team in more jeopardy than playing in a conference tournament.
So why don't UM and Gonzaga agree to play one game on the Saturday before the Selection Show -- you can stay sharp and play a team which has great incentive to also abide by COVID protocols. What is the downside to this?
