Duke Won't Allow Fans at Cameron Indoor Stadium for Games amid COVID-19
Nov 10, 2020
Maine's Ilija Stojiljkovic (11) looks to in-bound the ball as the Cameron Crazies shout from behind during an NCAA college basketball game against Duke in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
Cameron Indoor Stadium won't feel the same during the 2020-21 season after Duke announced fans won't be allowed to attend basketball games because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Duke athletic director Kevin White issued a statement on the school's decision, via ESPN's Myron Medcalf:
"As Duke University continues to be an industry leader per providing a safe environment for intercollegiate athletic competition, the decision to maintain our non-spectator protocol is imperative for the overall health and safety of the Blue Devil fan base, student-athletes, coaches and support staff, notwithstanding the immediate campus population comprised of students, faculty and staff. We will continue to embrace the challenges of this unique if not unprecedented time with flexibility and compliance, and can't begin to thank our dedicated, passionate fans enough for their unbridled support."
In August, the schoolannouncedit wouldn't host fans at any sporting events during the fall season.
Fans have been given the option of filling the stands at Wallace Wade Stadium with cardboard cutouts of themselves for football games.
The student section at Cameron Indoor Stadium is one of themost raucous and passionate groupsin the country. It provides the Blue Devils one of the best home atmospheres in all of college sports.
White's announcement that fans won't be permitted to attend basketball games comes on the same day that the ACC unveiled itsschedulefor the 2020-21 season.
The Blue Devils will open the season Nov. 25 at home against Gardner-Webb. Their first ACC game will be Dec. 16 against Notre Dame.
UNC 2020 Basketball Schedule: Predictions for Tar Heels' Season Matchups
Nov 10, 2020
North Carolina head coach Roy Williams cheers on his team against Wake Forest during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Tuesday, March 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Fans in Chapel Hill won't have to wait much longer to get their first look at what the 2020-21 North Carolina Tar Heels look like on the court.
The ACC unveiled its schedule Tuesday, with the 16th-ranked Tar Heels opening conference play Dec. 22 at PNC Arena against North Carolina State.
North Carolina is also among the eight teams included in the field for the 2020 Maui Invitational. It will play UNLV on Nov. 30 in the opening game of that tournament.
2020-21 North Carolina Schedule (Prediction)
Nov. 30: vs. UNLV, Maui Invitational
Dec. 1: TBD, Maui Invitational
Dec. 2: TBD, Maui Invitational
Dec. 22: at North Carolina State (Win)
Dec. 29/30: at Georgia Tech (Win)
Jan. 2: vs. Syracuse (Loss)
Jan. 5/6: at Miami (Win)
Jan. 9: vs. Clemson (Win)
Jan. 16: at No. 21 Florida State (Loss)
Jan. 19/20: vs. Wake Forest (Loss)
Jan. 23: vs. North Carolina State (Win)
Jan. 26/27: at Pittsburgh (Win)
Jan. 30: vs. Notre Dame (Win)
Feb. 2/3: at Clemson (Win)
Feb. 6: at No. 9 Duke (Loss)
Feb. 8: vs. Miami (Win)
Feb. 13: at No. 4 Virginia (Loss)
Feb. 16/17: vs. Virginia Tech (Win)
Feb. 20: vs. Louisville (Win)
Feb. 23/24: at Boston College (Win)
Feb. 27: vs. No. 21 Florida State (Win)
March 1: at Syracuse (Win)
March 6: vs. No. 9 Duke (Loss)
Predicted conference record: 14-6
One reason Tar Heels fans can't wait to get this season started is to wash the bad taste out of their mouths from a disappointing 2019-20 campaign. The team finished 14-19 overall (6-14 in ACC, tied with Pittsburgh and Wake Forest for last place).
In 32 seasons as a head coach between Kansas and North Carolina, Roy Williams had never posted a losing record until last year. It was also the worst single-season record for the Tar Heels since 2001-02 when they finished 8-20 under Matt Doherty.
Despite those struggles last year and the departure of leading scorer Cole Anthony, who declared for the 2020 NBA draft in April, there is a sense of optimism that North Carolina will get back on track.
Garrison Brooks, Leaky Black and Armando Bacot are returning starters. Brooks finished second on the team in scoring (16.8 points per game) and led the team in rebounding (8.6).
In addition to those veteran players, Williams and his coaching staff had one of the nation's best recruiting classes.
Per 247Sports composite rankings, North Carolina's freshman class ranks second behind the Kentucky Wildcats. The six-man recruiting class includes three 5-star prospects and three 4-star prospects.
Caleb Love is the crown jewel of the group as the No. 14 overall prospect, but he's followed closely by Day'Ron Sharpe (No. 15) and Walker Kessler (No. 22).
Love could be the difference between another rough season and a potential championship team in North Carolina. One of the Tar Heels' biggest flaws in 2019-20 was outside shooting; they finished tied for 313th in the nation with a 30.4 percent three-point percentage.
Travis Branham of 247Sports wrote in April that Love's stock was rising because of his improved shooting touch:
"Next, given his versatility and innate scoring ability, he is also a threat off the ball primarily as a slasher but he’s becoming much more of a threat with his consistently-improving shooting ability from three. Love is already more than capable of making shots from three but is still streaky, somewhat due to his shot selection and reliance to score for his high school team."
Williams' system is built on having players who need to shoot from behind the arc to succeed, but it does add an element that was sorely missing last season as the Tar Heels struggled to find consistency.
There's a strong mix of young and veteran talent on this year's roster that should keep North Carolina in the mix for a conference title, even though it is looking up at Virginia and Duke in the preseason polls.
Duke 2020 Basketball Schedule: Predictions for Blue Devils' Season Matchups
Nov 10, 2020
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski calls a play during an NCAA college basketball game against Virginia Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Charlottesville, Va. (AP Photo/Andrew Shurtleff)
The ACC released its schedule for the unique and unpredictable 2020-21 men's college basketball season Tuesday, including that of the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils, who finished tied for second in the conference last season.
Duke, like every ACC team, will have a tough conference slate during the upcoming campaign. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils' nonconference schedule is primarily made up of lower-level opponents, although there are a couple of marquee matchups on tap as well.
Here are predictions for each of Duke's regular-season games during the 2020-21 campaign:
Nov. 25: vs. Gardner-Webb (W - 1-0)
Nov. 28: vs. Coppin State (W - 2-0)
Dec. 1: vs. Michigan State (W - 3-0)
Dec. 4: vs. Bellarmine (W - 4-0)
Dec. 6: vs. Elon (W - 5-0)
Dec. 8: vs. Illinois (L - 5-1)
Dec. 12: vs. Charleston Southern (W - 6-1)
Dec. 16: at Notre Dame (W - 7-1)
Dec. 29/30: vs. Pittsburgh (W - 8-1)
Jan. 2: at Florida State (W - 9-1)
Jan. 5/6: vs. Boston College (W - 10-1)
Jan. 9: vs. Wake Forest (W - 11-1)
Jan. 12/13: at Virginia Tech (W - 12-1)
Jan. 19/20: at Pittsburgh (W - 13-1)
Jan. 23: at Louisville (L - 13-2)
Jan. 26/27: vs. Georgia Tech (W - 14-2)
Jan. 30: vs. Clemson (W - 15-2)
Feb. 1: at Miami (W - 16-2)
Feb. 6: vs. North Carolina (W - 17-2)
Feb. 9/10: vs. Notre Dame (W - 18-2)
Feb. 13: at NC State (W - 19-2)
Feb. 16/17: at Wake Forest (W - 20-2)
Feb. 20: vs. Virginia (L - 20-3)
Feb. 22: vs. Syracuse (W - 21-3)
Feb. 27: vs. Louisville (W - 22-3)
March 2/3: at Georgia Tech (W - 23-3)
March 6: at North Carolina (L - 23-4)
March 9-13: ACC Tourney
One of the reasons it is difficult to say how head coach Mike Krzyzewski's team will fare in 2020-21 is the fact that many of the Blue Devils' key players will be freshmen.
Per 247Sports, Duke has the No. 3 recruiting class for the upcoming season on the strength of commitments from four 5-star players and two 4-star recruits.
Forward Jalen Johnson is the No. 13 recruit in the nation, followed by guard Jeremy Roach (23), guard DJ Steward (26), center Mark Williams (28), forward Jaemyn Brakefield (41) and forward Henry Coleman (52).
If at least a few of those players make a major impact right out of the gate, Duke will be in business and among the top teams in the country as usual.
Coach K will also need greater contributions from a quartet of returning players since his top three scorers from last season (Vernon Carey Jr., Tre Jones and Cassius Stanley) are all NBA-bound.
Duke's top returning players are forward Matthew Hurt, forward Wendell Moore Jr., forward Joey Baker and guard Jordan Goldwire.
None of the aforementioned players lit it up last season, with none of them averaging more than 9.7 points per game.
One thing Krzyzewski should have to his credit in 2020-21 is depth, which is always huge in the ACC, but especially during a season surrounded by so much uncertainty due to COVID-19.
Duke figures to have some growing pains with such a young team, but all signs point to them being in the mix for another ACC title.
ACC Basketball Schedule 2020-21: Dates, Matchups and Championship Game Details
Nov 10, 2020
Duke center Vernon Carey Jr. (1) gets pressured by Virginia guard Braxton Key (2) and Virginia forward Jay Huff (30) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Charlottesville, Va. Virginia defeated Duke 52-50. (AP Photo/Andrew Shurtleff)
The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Tuesday its men's basketball season will tip off Dec. 12 and run through the 2021 ACC Championship Game on March 13.
Florida State won the conference's regular-season title last season with a 16-4 record, but no postseason champion was crowned as the college basketball campaign ended prematurely because of COVID-19. The 2020-21 season will also take on a different look with a limited nonconference slate beginning Nov. 25.
Here's a look at the schedule details from the ACC:
While we are excited to announce the @NDmbb schedule for 2020-21, but all of our athletic schedules need to be approved by the Faculty Board on Athletics. The non-conference, which occurs before school begins again, was approved. https://t.co/OcksxS9M9n
Four ACC teams were selected for the Associated Press' preseason Top 25 poll:
4. Virginia
9. Duke
16. North Carolina
21. Florida State
While KenPom also placed those four teams in the Top 25, albeit in a different order—Duke No. 3, Virginia No. 16, Florida State No. 19 and North Carolina No. 23—it believes Louisville is being underrated by the voters, placing the Cardinals at No. 14 in its preseason rankings.
Syracuse (No. 29), Virginia Tech (No. 30), Clemson (No. 40) and Miami (No. 41) also cracked the top 50 out of the ACC in KenPom's initial rankings.
In August, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski stressed the importance of making sure the 2021 edition of March Madness takes place during an appearance on ESPN Radio's Keyshawn, JWIll & Zubin.
"We're the thing that the NCAA is most concerned about because men's college basketball and the tournament pays for something like ... it produces 98 percent or more of the money for the NCAA," Coach K said. "We need to have the tournament. We can't have it where two years in a row you don't have the NCAA tournament."
All signs point to a highly competitive season in the ACC with the potential for a couple of true national title contenders to emerge from the conference, including Krzyzewski's Blue Devils.
Syracuse's Jim Boeheim Sued by Jorge Jimenez's Family over 2019 Fatal Car Crash
Nov 9, 2020
Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Louisville in Syracuse, N.Y., Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Nick Lisi)
The family of Jorge Jimenez, who was killed in a car crash involving Jim Boeheim in 2019, are suing the Syracuse coach and the university following their relative's death.
TMZ Sports reported the news, noting the lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages and says the coach "was traveling at a high rate of speed and/or was otherwise negligent in the operation of the vehicle."
The lawsuit says that is what led to Jiminez's death.
TMZ reported Boeheim swerved to avoid a disabled vehicle in the middle of the road while driving at approximately 11 p.m. and struck Jiminez, who had exited the car. Police investigated the crash and deemed it a "tragic accident" and did not press charges even though the coach was traveling 11 mph over the 55 mph limit.
Boeheim has been the head coach at Syracuse since the 1976-77 campaign.
Louisville's Chris Mack Calls Out Kentucky's John Calipari in Twitter Video
Sep 29, 2020
Louisville head coach Chris Mack reacts to a play during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Virginia Tech, Sunday, March 1, 2020 in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)
After Louisville head coach Chris Mack shared his reservations about hosting the first part of his team's rivalry series with Kentucky in an arena with no fans when there may be spectators at Kentucky a year from now, Mack called out Wildcats coach John Calipari in a Twitter video to say the game is on.
Mack's two-minute video was posted after Calipari told reporters Tuesday that the Wildcats would "plug in another team" if the Cardinals elected not to play.
However, Calipari changed his tune after Mack posted his video:
In the video, Mack accused Calipari of canceling a Dec. 12 agreement because Kentucky was scheduled to return from London six days earlier. The trip was canceled, but the Wildcats scheduled Notre Dame on Dec. 12, according to Mack.
"I don't want to stand in the way of college basketball's best rivalry," Mack said. "Whatever is most convenient for Coach Cal, we'll do it. See ya in the Yum Center."
Mack also said a home football game for Louisville against Kentucky was moved to next season.
Grayson Allen on Criticism for Duke Tripping Incidents: 'It Doesn't Bother Me'
Sep 28, 2020
Memphis Grizzlies' Grayson Allen reacts after scoring a three-point basket during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Kevin C. Cox/Pool Photo via AP)
While playing at Duke, Memphis Grizzlies guard Grayson Allen was an All-American, an All-ACC selection, an NCAA champion and a serial tripper.
In an appearance on JJ Redick's Old Man and the Threepodcast, Allen opened up about the incidents that led to criticism from his conference and a suspension from his team:
"Obviously if I could go back in time, I wouldn't trip anybody. That's clear. But I don't think it bothers me. It doesn't bother me. Either I've gotten so used to it and I realize it was part of my journey where I had to f--k up. I had to make some mistakes to learn."
As a sophomore, Allen made headlines after he tripped Louisville's Ray Spalding and was handed a flagrant foul. He tripped a Florida State player weeks later, and the ACC did not suspend him after an investigation into the issue.
The next season, despite saying he was ready to "play the game the right way" (h/t ESPN), Allen was suspended indefinitely and lost his captain status after he tripped an Elon player. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski allowed him to return to the court after one game, though as Allen explained to Redick, the suspension spanned over winter break.
Allen noted that even with the team's success on the court, the focus was consistently on the dirty plays:
"I can laugh about it now, but at the time I'm 20 years old waking up and seeing this on ESPN. This is terrible. I can't get outside myself when I'm playing. I'm constantly thinking about what I'm doing on the court because it feels like even if we have Jayson Tatum and Luke Kennard on our team scoring 20 points, that's the story."
Allen has not been a similar spectacle during his two seasons as a pro, averaging just 1.3 personal fouls per game.
Louisville Denies Allegations Against Rick Pitino, More in NCAA Corruption Probe
Sep 21, 2020
File-This Jan. 4, 2019, file photo shows Panathinaikos coach Rick Pitino looking on during a Euroleague basketball match between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos in Piraeus near Athens. Former Louisville basketball coach Pitino has reached a settlement with Adidas, the Hall of Fame coach and the global sportswear company said in a joint statement Monday, Dec. 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
Louisville made its formal response to the NCAA's notice of allegations, disputing whether its men's basketball program was guilty of violations laid out by the organization.
The Associated Press reported Louisville is contending it can't be held accountable for the actions of people implicated in the FBI's investigation into college basketball corruption because those guilty weren't officially acting on behalf of the school.
"This argument is as novel as it is wrong," Louisville wrote. "Even if an institution has some responsibility for the conduct of its suppliers, that responsibility plainly does not extend to acts of fraud perpetrated against the institution itself."
In May, the NCAA alleged Louisville had committed a Level I violation stemming from the recruitment of Brian Bowen II. The NCAA's Notice of Allegations also outlined Level II violations as well, including one for former head coach Rick Pitino for "failing to adequately monitor the recruitment of an incoming, high-profile student-athlete."
The Courier-Journal reported in September 2017 Bowen committed to the Cardinals after Adidas executives conspired to funnel $100,000 to his family. Brian Bowen Sr. testified to corroborate the claims in October 2018, adding that he had been told of other offers from Arizona, Oklahoma State, Texas and Creighton.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York summed up the general thrust of the scheme:
Christian Dawkins, Adidas executive James Gatto and former Adidas consultant Merl Code conspired to get top recruits to Adidas-sponsored schools. Dawkins would then represent the players when they entered the professional ranks.
Louisville attempted to distance itself from Gatto and Code in its response to the allegations:
"The enforcement staff's remaining allegations lack factual support and overread the relevant Bylaws and rest on the erroneous contention that the conspirators were representatives of the University’s athletics interests.
"For these reasons and others set forth, the panel should reject the enforcement staff’s dramatically overbroad theory, and classify this case as involving a Level II-Mitigated violation."
Dawkins was sentenced in October 2019 to one year and one day in prison for each bribery charge for which he was convicted. Gatto and Code also were found guilty and sentenced to nine and six months, respectively.
The FBI investigation brought swift fallout for the Cardinals, who fired Pitino, athletic director Tom Jurich and assistant coach Kenny Johnson in the immediate aftermath. Iona hired Pitino in March.
Bowen never played a game for the Cardinals, either, heading instead to Australia's National Basketball League before signing with the Indiana Pacers.
According to the AP, the NCAA has until Nov. 15 to respond to Louisville's most recent filing.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski directs his players against North Carolina State during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Monday, March 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski is leading a push for an NCAA tournament that will feature every Division I men's basketball team.
Per Jeff Goodman of Stadium, Krzyzewski and the ACC coaches will propose an "all-inclusive" 2021 NCAA tournament.
Goodman noted that every ACC head coach unanimously voted for the proposal on a Wednesday conference call.
He also gave more details about how many schools would be eligible for the proposal:
Told there are 346 D-1 teams of the 357 overall eligible for the NCAA tournament.
- Seven are reclassifiers. - Three are ineligible due to APR. - Oklahoma State ineligible for tourney.
"This is not a regular season," Krzyzewski said in a statement, via Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated. "It is clearly an irregular season that will require something different. Our sport needs to be agile and creative."
After Goodman's report, numerous ACC coaches and programs tweeted in support of the proposal:
The 2020-21 college basketball season was originally scheduled to start in November, but it's unclear if the NCAA will allow that to happen because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Dan Gavitt, NCAA senior vice president of basketball,issued a statementlast month that said there will likely be an official announcement by mid-September:
"We have learned a great deal over the course of the summer, and with health and safety being our priority, we have developed and studied contingency plans for alternatives to the scheduled Nov. 10 start date.
"In the coming weeks, the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Oversight Committees will take the lead with me in a collaborative process of finalizing any recommendations for consideration by the NCAA Division I Council for the start of the college basketball season. By mid-September, we will provide direction about whether the season and practice start on time or a short-term delay is necessitated by the ongoing pandemic."
NCAA President Mark Emmert has said using bubble sites to host championship events could be an option but expressed concern about having a large number of teams in a single venue.
"Starting with 64 teams is tough. Thirty-two, OK, maybe that's a manageable number. Sixteen, certainly manageable. But you've got to figure out those logistics," Emmert told NCAA.com (via ESPN'sJeff Borzello). "There's doubtlessly ways to make that work."
The NCAA canceled the 2020 men's and women's basketball tournaments in March because of the pandemic. The Big Ten and Pac-12 have postponed fall sports, with the hope of being able to reschedule them at the start of 2021.
Krzyzewski has been outspoken about the potential financial ramifications if the NCAA men's basketball tournament has to be canceled again.
"We're the thing that the NCAA is most concerned about because men's college basketball and the tournament pays for something like ... it produces 98 percent or more of the money for the NCAA," the Blue Devils coach said Aug. 17 on ESPN Radio's ofKeyshawn, JWIll & Zubinshow (h/t ESPN'sMyron Medcalf).
A traditional NCAA men's tournament includes 68 teams made up of 32 conference tournament champions and 36 at-large bids.
Duke's Coach K: We Can't Go 2 Straight Years Without the NCAA Tournament
Aug 19, 2020
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski directs his players against North Carolina State during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Monday, March 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Duke head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski stressed the importance of playing the 2021 NCAA men's basketball tournament after the marquee event was canceled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Coach K explained the financial importance of March Madness for college athletics during an appearance Tuesday on ESPN Radio's Keyshawn, JWIll & Zubin.
"We're the thing that the NCAA is most concerned about because men's college basketball and the tournament pays for something like ... it produces 98 percent or more of the money for the NCAA," he said. "We need to have the tournament. We can't have it where two years in a row you don't have the NCAA tournament."
Krzyzewski said the NCAA should be extremely flexible with its scheduling for the college basketball season to ensure the tournament is contested, even if it doesn't happen in March:
"I think that's where you should start. Make sure you have the tournament. It doesn't make any difference when it is. Because we don't even know when the NBA season is going to be next year. And we should look at them to see how they navigate the waters going forward. They've navigated them really well with the bubble."
The Basketball Hall of Fame coach, who's guided the Blue Devils to five national championships, previously urged the NCAA to begin exploring "contingency plans" in July on SiriusXM Radio:
Coach K knows that college basketball has no option but to have an NCAA Tournament for this upcoming season. The @DukeMBB Head Coach expressed his concerns when he joined @MarkPacker. pic.twitter.com/Qq2mzuNeAL
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) July 21, 2020
In March, Andrew Lisa of Yahoo Finance reported the men's NCAA tournament generates around 75 percent of the governing body's yearly revenue thanks in large part to its $933 million in advertising revenue.
NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt said Friday they've discussed the potential for using a bubble similar to those of the NBA and NHL to complete the tournament.
"It's something we've been talking about and studying for some time, since the NBA shared their plan," Gavitt told ESPN's Myron Medcalf. "We've had a chance to see its execution. We know that it works."
The national championship in men's basketball had been awarded every year via the NCAA tournament since 1939 before this year's cancellation.
