The entire notion of holding a college basketball season during a pandemic is a bad idea for a variety of reasons. For one, there were programs pausing team activities due to COVID-19 outbreaks before the season even started. And now that the season has started, the pandemic has turned college hoops into the same mess we’ve seen in college football.
It’s gotten to the point where Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski would like to see the season delayed. The program even canceled its two remaining non-conference games.
But at least one head coach isn’t buying it.
In a press conference on Thursday, Alabama head coach Nate Oats questioned Coach K’s push to hit pause on the season. Oats suggested it was more a reaction to Duke’s recent losses against Michigan State and Illinois rather than the plainly obvious thing we should all be accepting.
🔥🔥🔥NATE OATS 🔥🔥🔥
"We 100% should be playing basketball." pic.twitter.com/QoHbML9Lwu
— Roger Hoover (@Roger_Hoover) December 10, 2020
Nate Oats on Coach K wanting to delay play due to COVID-19: “Let me ask you a question. Do you think Coach K would be saying that if he hadn’t lost those two non-conference games at home?”
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) December 10, 2020
“Do you think if Coach K hadn’t lost his two non-conference games at home that he would still be saying that,” Oats asked.
And while Iona coach Rick Pitino has been rather consistent about delaying the season, Coach K was adamant back in August — when the pandemic was very much raging nationwide (and still is) — that the NCAA Tournament needed to happen this season.
A Coach K saga in three epic chapters pic.twitter.com/icgsiSYjNT
— Tate Frazier (@tatefrazier) December 9, 2020
So even if Krzyzewski made some entirely reasonable points, it’s hard to totally dismiss Oats’ skepticism. But at the same time, what are we even doing?
The NCAA had eight months to prepare for this college basketball season and has essentially opted to “test a few times a week and hope for the best until March.”
It’s going to continue to be a mess.
