2021 NCAA March Madness - Indianapolis

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,720]

4 minutes ago, Treesh said:

Bloomington is basically going to be friends and family of participating teams.

 

Great. 

$$ are crucial to the NCAA having lost megabucks last year with no tournament.  500 paying seats at SSAH or relocate to Ball State or Indiana State?  No idea what their seating capacities are but I'd wager even at 25% capacity you can seat a lot more than 500 butts.

[Trish 11,420]

26 minutes ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

$$ are crucial to the NCAA having lost megabucks last year with no tournament.  500 paying seats at SSAH or relocate to Ball State or Indiana State?  No idea what their seating capacities are but I'd wager even at 25% capacity you can seat a lot more than 500 butts.

Bloomington wants to keep the town safe from COVID from outside folk, which makes sense. If the NCAA does decide to switch paths and make money elsewhere, that will be the only explanation from leaving Bloomington.

The teams aren't even staying in town. Limited local business and hotels will see some effect. 

[Hovadipo 53,262]

1 hour ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

$$ are crucial to the NCAA having lost megabucks last year with no tournament.  500 paying seats at SSAH or relocate to Ball State or Indiana State?  No idea what their seating capacities are but I'd wager even at 25% capacity you can seat a lot more than 500 butts.

Hulman Center is newly (this year) renovated and seats around 10k. Would be quite the win for Terre Haute. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,720]

3 minutes ago, Hovadipo said:

Hulman Center is newly (this year) renovated and seats around 10k. Would be quite the win for Terre Haute. 

Wouldn't disagree but based solely on proximity Hinkle would be the likely back-up site IMO.

[Hoosierfan2017 20,062]

2 hours ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

And now this from Osterman -

Assembly Hall games will still be seen by limited audience, per IU release. "Up to 500 spectators," including "a limited number of seats ... for vaccinated medical personnel and first responders from Monroe County."

"Indiana University’s plan, based on recommendations from the Medical Response Team, is consistent with the attendance policy at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall during the 2020-2021 basketball season permitting immediate family members ... and staff members to attend."

 

Won't we look great if Tippecanoe and Marion counties OK 25% capacity?   If that happens, I could foresee the NCAA moving games away from SSAH to a different venue.

 

 

Smh. They’re going to move it now. 

[mdn82 25,467]

1 hour ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

$$ are crucial to the NCAA having lost megabucks last year with no tournament.  500 paying seats at SSAH or relocate to Ball State or Indiana State?  No idea what their seating capacities are but I'd wager even at 25% capacity you can seat a lot more than 500 butts.

Wonder if they have designated for season ticket holders then general public to get to that 25%.  But I haven’t heard anything definitive on that.  But 500 only at SSAH?  Yeah that will be moved.

[Hoosierfan2017 20,062]

The difference between 500 fans and 25% capacity at Assembly Hall is around 3,800 people. I don’t know how much a ticket for a tournament game costs, but let’s just go with $40. That ~3,800 fan difference is a loss of ~$150k per game at $40 per ticket. Even if they have to move it to an arena with 10k seats, they’d still make $80k more per game hosting at that arena than at an Assembly Hall with 500 fans. 

[Hovadipo 53,262]

18 minutes ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Wouldn't disagree but based solely on proximity Hinkle would be the likely back-up site IMO.

It’s already a main site isn’t it?

[mdn82 25,467]

7 minutes ago, Hoosierfan2017 said:

The difference between 500 fans and 25% capacity at Assembly Hall is around 3,800 people. I don’t know how much a ticket for a tournament game costs, but let’s just go with $40. That ~3,800 fan difference is a loss of ~$150k per game at $40 per ticket. Even if they have to move it to an arena with 10k seats, they’d still make $80k more per game hosting at that arena than at an Assembly Hall with 500 fans. 

Well not necessarily.  They have to pay for sanitizing between games, ushers, and other staff.  Not saying that’s $80k, but I would be shocked if this netted them more than $25k at your numbers.  Wonder if they will only sell all day passes or blocks of 2 or 4 games only to minimize those costs. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,720]

2 minutes ago, Hovadipo said:

It’s already a main site isn’t it?

I honestly don't know.  If it is then ISU's chances would increase.  I'd go back for a burger and beer at Charlie's Pub and Grub and breakfast at Cackleberries.

[Uspshoosier 44,502]

13 minutes ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

I honestly don't know.  If it is then ISU's chances would increase.  I'd go back for a burger and beer at Charlie's Pub and Grub and breakfast at Cackleberries.

Tweety burger from Charlies are the best.  Hova, Charlie’s is actually a go to bar now for ISU students I guess.   Went back for a wedding last year and most places like the terminal and cooper bar had closed.  It was weird going to Charlie’s and it being packed with students.  

[Hovadipo 53,262]

4 minutes ago, Uspshoosier said:

Tweety burger from Charlies are the best.  Hova, Charlie’s is actually a go to bar now for ISU students I guess.   Went back for a wedding last year and most places like the terminal and cooper bar had closed.  It was weird going to Charlie’s and it being packed with students.  

Yep it started trending that way right before I left town. Like you said, the other bars closing down kind of forced that to happen on top of the Bally being a glorified frat party. 
 

I don’t see the NCAA moving tournament games, but that would be extremely cool to have the Bird statue be the back drop for a round of the tourney. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,720]

NCAA announces contingency plans for tournament teams forced to withdraw due to issues related to COVID-19

https://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/ncaa-announces-contingency-plans-tournament-teams-forced-withdraw-due-issues-related-covid-19

[LIHoosier 25,061]

This is cool. I hope there's a starting lineup of 5 soph-o-mores.

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,720]

For the Sycamores on btb.

Indiana State to serve as host at Indy practice site for NCAA tourney

Indiana State University will serve as official host at the Indiana Convention Center practice site for all 68 teams in the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, according to an ISU news release.

The Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis will have 12 courts. Throughout the tournament, ISU staff members will assist in coordinating practice schedules and managing on-site virtual interviews between team personnel and news media.

Practices start March 15. The tournament begins March 18.

The partnership between ISU and the NCAA came out of collaboration between ISU Athletics Director Sherard Clinkscales and NCAA Senior Vice President Dan Gavitt, and ISU President Deborah Curtis and NCAA president Mark Emmert.

“We are proud to help work through challenges and conduct this year’s tournament safely in the country’s best basketball state, Indiana,” Curtis said.

The NCAA moved all tournament games to sites in Indiana because of the pandemic. The NCAA partnered with local health providers, including the health departments from Marion, Monroe and Tippecanoe counties, to establish COVID-19 protocols for players, coaching staffs, administrators and officials.

Indiana State and the NCAA have also worked together to promote "Mask Madness," an initiative to promote safety through social distancing and the wearing of masks. As part of the program, the NCAA will donate thousands of masks throughout the state leading up to the tournament.

"This is a historic moment for NCAA members and the state of Indiana," Emmert said. "We have worked tirelessly to reimagine a tournament structure that maintains our unique championship opportunity for college athletes.”

[Magnanimous 4,404]

Watch a team have to bow out because of Covid and then because of the short time frame and travel issues the replacement teams come from in-state. “Hey Hoosiers, East Directional Tech can’t make it so can you guys come across the street and play Baylor in three hours?” This is embarrassing on so many levels. I’d rather send the 8 best players in the HPER should the situation arise.

[LIHoosier 25,061]

https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/30929532/the-storied-indiana-venues-hosting-2021-ncaa-tournament

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,720]

Six NCAA Tournament Referees Ruled Out Due to COVID-19 Protocols

Six of college basketball’s top officials for the NCAA Tournament — including Ted Valentine, John Higgins and Roger Ayers — have been removed from the NCAA Tournament due to one positive COVID-19 test, resulting in contact tracing involving the others.

The NCAA brought 60 officials instead of the normal 100 to Indianapolis to work the NCAA Tournament during March Madness. One of the protocols in place was that the referees were not allowed to leave the hotel once they arrived unless it was to go to the arena.

The referees were told to arrive by Sunday night and check into their hotel, but multiple officials said that the rooms weren’t ready upon their arrival, nor was there any food. Instead of having the officials wait in a secure area, they were allowed to leave for dinner and the group of Valentine, Higgins, Ayers, John Gaffney, Kipp Kissinger and Ray Natili all went to Harry & Izzy’s steakhouse in downtown Indianapolis.

Upon their return to the hotel, they took COVID-19 tests and one of the referees tested positive, sources told Stadium. He then tested twice on Monday morning, and tested positive.

Due to the fact that they ate together and weren’t wearing masks, the Indiana Department of Health deemed them unable to work in the NCAA Tournament.

Higgins has worked eight Final Fours, Valentine has worked six, Ayers has done three and Kissinger has worked one.

[Evariste Galois 575]

1 minute ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Six NCAA Tournament Referees Ruled Out Due to COVID-19 Protocols

Six of college basketball’s top officials for the NCAA Tournament — including Ted Valentine, John Higgins and Roger Ayers — have been removed from the NCAA Tournament due to one positive COVID-19 test, resulting in contact tracing involving the others.

So let me get this straight: The ENTIRE tournament is Indiana AND TV Ted Valentine will not be officiating AND IU did NOT make the tournament... we are cursed. This was our chance...

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,720]

https://247sports.com/college/indiana/Article/Not-NCAA-Property-protest-college-basketball-statement-March-Madness-Geo-Baker-Jordan-Bohannon-Isaiah-Livers-162592049/?fbclid=IwAR2MiEdvHumPw4XCnBSF0DQKLLS3zN3eXZoXfBE616CRWuQm2RttrgErP9c