Ever since the coronavirus announced its presence back in March (remember when the BIG EAST and the rest of college basketball saw their postseasons come to an abrupt halt and March Madness was reduced to March Sadness?) there has been very little that resembles normalcy in the sports world.
No fans, or very limited attendance, has become the new normal, at least for the time being. “Bubble” no longer refers to a team on the outside looking in for an NCAA Tournament bid. It’s now used to refer to venues such as Mohegan Sun, which this season has become “Bubbleville.”
Schedules are now deemed to be “fluid” and the words “cancellation” and “postponement” are as big a part of the college basketball lexicon as tipoff and TV timeout.
And the BIG EAST, like every other conference across the country, has fallen victim to the whims of the virus. This Friday was supposed to see the grand opening of the 2020-21 conference season. The day was to be highlighted by UConn’s first league game since returning home to the BIG EAST when the Huskies were to host St. John’s.
But the virus had other plans and the game was postponed due to positive COVID tests in the Huskies’ program. Ditto DePaul, which was to travel to Seton Hall for its conference opener. But like the Huskies, the Blue Demons, too, saw their program hit with positive test results.
As of Dec. 10, the Blue Demons do lead the BIG EAST in one dismal category - canceled or postponed games - with seven. The Demons have yet to play a single game this season.
And so it goes. Everyone knew coming into the season there would be bumps aplenty in the road. Sometimes even potholes. But with postponements and cancellations abounding across the conference, it’s just a little much to take at the start of the season.
“You figured you’d run into this at some point, but when (it happens) is not controllable,” said Butler head coach LaVall Jordan, whose Bulldogs have played just one game this season - a 66-62 victory over Western Michigan the day before Thanksgiving. That victory was followed by four straight postponements, including its scheduled BIG EAST opener versus St. John’s on Dec. 14. “It’s just unfortunate. We anticipated some disruption so whenever it comes we just have to figure out how we have to handle it from there.”
As of now the Bulldogs are expected to make their long-awaited return to the court for practice this weekend as they emerge from their quarantine. Fingers crossed, of course.
“Guys will be phasing back in by the weekend when we have everyone out of isolation and quarantine so we can kind of get back to it,” Jordan said. “So we should be able to play against Villanova next Wednesday (Dec. 16) as long as everything goes the way we anticipate.”
As frustrating as the COVID pause has been for coaching staffs throughout the league, Jordan said his Bulldogs players are just taking things as they come in this uncertain season.
“It’s something we talked about on the front end (of the season), that we can do everything right but still be affected,” Jordan said. “So I think that’s something they had in their minds. I think there was a lot of relief and excitement to get to that first game and then some disappointment after that. But looking around the country we know we’re not the only ones (being affected). It doesn’t make it easier but at least you know others are going through it. I think the mental piece is real though. We’re watching other teams in our league compete and that affects you. So there is a real mental piece to it that I don’t know that everybody quite understands who are not close to the players.”
When Butler does hopefully return to the practice court this weekend it will be the first time since that Western Michigan game that the band will be back together for the Bulldogs.
“Everything has been virtual since then,” Jordan said. “That was the last time we were all in the same place at the same time.”
Of course, Butler and DePaul are not the only BIG EAST programs that have seen disruptions in their schedules. St. John’s, Georgetown, Villanova, Seton Hall and UConn have all been affected to various degrees.
Providence, perhaps, saw its schedule affected in a most unusual way when the Friars’ games in the Maui Invitational were not played in the balmy South Pacific - but in Asheville, North Carolina. Oh, when will 2020 end?
So as of Thursday, the BIG EAST will see two conference games slated for Friday’s opening day with St. John’s visiting Seton Hall at 4:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network and Villanova visiting Georgetown at 7 p.m. on FS1. In a pair of non-conference games, Creighton will host Nebraska at 7 p.m. and Marquette travels to UCLA at 9:30 p.m.
Looking at few of the results of the non-conference games that have been played, Xavier is 7-0. The BIG EAST’s top-10 teams, Villanova and Creighton, have shown well with each team tasting defeat only once.
As for Butler, by the time next Wednesday rolls around and the Bulldogs are headed for Philadelphia, it will have been three weeks since they last played a game. And for that the Bulldogs’ reward is a visit to Villanova with just a handful of practices under their belt.
To that the Bulldogs say, “Thanks a heap, 2020.”
But let the conference games begin.