COVID-19 impacts
Mount St. Mary’s basketball

Samuel Barber
MSMU Class of 2022

(1/2021) The 2020-21 college basketball season can be described as nothing short of hectic and historic, for a multitude of reasons. This season has also brought on the feeling that coaches, players and fans alike are walking on eggshells, as the thought of canceling is constantly hanging in the balance. While college basketball approaches the one-month mark of the season, the landscape has not got any less rocky. Well over 250 games have either been canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

While both Mount St. Mary's men's and women's basketball teams have seemed to go unscathed, that tune has quickly changed. The men's program has seen their schedule completely turned inside out, as their quarantine period is set to end on Dec. 17. As for the women's team, the Mountaineers are scheduled to resume basketball activities when they visit St. Francis (PA) on Dec. 19. For the latter, pausing team activities, although necessary, is a nuisance, as they have their eyes set on a Northeast Conference (NEC) crown.

The men's team has had to ax a pair of games against Saint Joseph's and UMBC, while also having to reposition a two-game series against Wagner, with the latter sure to add to the headache-inducing conference slate. For Maria Marchesano's squad, they were forced to cancel games against La Salle and national powerhouse, Maryland. The matchup with the Terrapins would have served as a potential résumé-boosting opportunity.

To the casual fan of the sport, having a team go through a 14-day quarantine does not appear to be problematic. However, the quarantining process presents a slew of challenges to those who fall under its web, especially mid-major programs like the Mount. Due to significantly lower athletic budgets than their Power Five counterparts (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC), the Mount has lost key opportunities during the early portion of the season.

Not only does the quarantine period hamper the ability to run a smooth, cohesive regular season but it also imposes residual effects on the postseason, which is three months away. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has put forth a plethora of COVID-19 related gameplay measures. One of the most notable and controversial has been the requirements to earn postseason eligibility. All teams across the 32 conferences will be required to play a minimum of 13 games to have a chance to play in their respective conference tournament and additional tournaments.

However, the main controversy-causing component to this motion is how it appears to give smaller schools the short end of the deal. Blue-blood programs such as Duke, Kansas and Kentucky can afford to cancel or postpone a game while not having to worry about their bottom line since the NCAA has the elite programs' best interests in mind. The same cannot be said for lower-tier schools that are left struggling to stay afloat. The pathway to the NCAA Tournament has now become exponentially harder while also making every time a team takes the court that much more pressing. As the season continues to develop, so will the nearly impossible ability to maintain requirements.

Many conferences across the country have taken it upon themselves to reduce the number of teams participating in conference tournaments, as the NEC is one of them. For the 2021 tournament, instead of the traditional eight teams, there will be four teams. This will ultimately eliminate the quarterfinal round entirely and leave a semi-final and championship round. Reducing the teams present will limit the number of people, which will keep the event in ordinance with COVID-19 protocols. Rules like these will undoubtedly mold this season into one of the most important, high stakes seasons in program history. Much like the journey to March Madness being difficult to come by, so will the pathway to qualification for a conference tournament.

The nation's most successful programs have also been in the line of fire of newfound pandemic restrictions on both the men's and women's side of the game. Through the nearly 300 matchups that have been affected, a handful has been blockbuster matchups that were planned well before the beginning of the season. Most notably, there was a Dec. 5 heavyweight tilt between top-ranked Gonzaga and #2 Baylor, as well as a highly anticipated ACC-Big Ten Challenge clash between Michigan State and Virginia, which would have pinned the potent offense of the Spartans against the smothering defense of UVA. Although fans will not be able to see these longstanding matchups, they will be treated as spur of the moment powerhouse games, as athletic directors and coaches have been able to be quick on their feet to ensure teams play against quality competition.

Meanwhile, in the women's basketball world, fans have been teased with games that would pin top-three teams against one another. Historical heavyweight UConn was forced to exit their Jimmy V Women's Classic matchup versus top-ranked South Carolina due to positive COVID-19 results within the Huskies' program. However, athletic directors and coaches have also been able to accommodate the top women's programs with high-end games.

The ramifications of COVID-19 are being felt well beyond the basketball court. Economically, scores of programs have lost tremendous amounts of revenue due to the cancellation of in-season tournaments and on-campus games. It goes without saying that mid-major programs profit from traveling to big-name programs; without these guaranteed games, it leaves major gaps within the annual athletic and team budgets. On a larger scale, the relocations, and in some cases outright cancelations, have completely uprooted college basketball. Mount St. Mary’s, who is accustomed to participating in regular-season tournaments decided to forgo that option to limit travel. The Mountaineers took part in the Anne Donovan Classic and Bluegrass Showcase respectively. Venues across the country, as well as the select few outside the United States, depend heavily on the revenue that is generated from said tournaments. It not only hurts the venues but activates a trickle-down effect, which hinders a team from both a gameplay and economic standpoint.

By far the most noticeable change that stems from the COVID-19 pandemic has been the playing ability of teams that are relieved from the quarantining process. On each side of the game, from the high majors to the low-majors, teams that are coming out of the 14-day quarantine unsurprisingly appear to have their overall level of gameplay take a hit. Not playing a basketball game for at least 14 days will certainly disrupt any momentum, even with the highest-rated team. This post-quarantine funk has affected both the offense and defense. Despite the troubling findings of this newfound phenomenon, there have been instances where teams return to play without having missed a single beat. This characteristic is most evident in higher ranked programs; whether it is the team simply tapping into the scores of talent they have, or if it is truly a revitalization of the players is yet to be determined.

Closer to home, fans of the Mount have not been able to witness what the exact effects will be of the quarantine, as both teams have yet to take the court. The men's team is scheduled to host Howard from Knott Arena on Dec. 22 and open NEC competition in early January. The women's team will resume play on the road against Saint Francis (PA) in Loretto, PA to open conference play.