Forfeits during March Madness? TCU’s Dixon sees that as a real possibility
Could an Elite Eight team reach the Final Four without winning an Elite Eight matchup? How about a 13-seed making a Sweet 16 run by winning just one of two games on the opening weekend?
TCU men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon believes his sport could see those types of storylines unfold during March Madness amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Dixon doesn’t envision a scenario where every game is played as scheduled.
“There’s no way we can expect all the games to be played, whether it’s conference tournaments or even the NCAA Tournament,” Dixon said. “I think we’re going to play, but there’s going to be some forfeits or something along those lines.”
Dixon is currently in self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 last week. The Frogs have had three consecutive games postponed, and they had to push back this week’s game at Kansas from Tuesday to Thursday.
Dixon is unsure if he’ll be able to coach the game in Lawrence. As of Tuesday, he remained in COVID protocol.
For now, the Big 12 and the Frogs remain hopeful to play every regular-season game and the conference tournament scheduled March 10-13 in Kansas City. The NCAA Tournament follows, with every game scheduled to be played in the Indianapolis area.
Selection Sunday is set for March 14 with the “First Four” being played March 18. The first and second rounds are scheduled for March 19-22 followed by the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight from March 27-30. The Final Four is set for April 3 with the championship game on April 5.
But, given the number of games being postponed and canceled in recent weeks, Dixon just doesn’t see any postseason tournament going on without a hiccup.
“I don’t see how they can replace a team or hold off a game,” Dixon said. “It’ll just probably be forfeits and that’s going to be the new challenge that comes about. That’ll be tough for some teams and some kids.
“Not everything is going to be fair and you’re just going to have to deal with it. That’s the situation we’re in.”
This story was originally published January 26, 2021 at 2:44 PM.
