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This is a new weekly column for BTPowerhouse that will cover a variety of Big Ten topics that might not deserve a detailed breakdown, but deserve mention. It will be similar to a news roundup with more thoughts and analysis.
So, let’s jump into our Morning Power Bar.
1. NBA Draft could be delayed again.
While this is a college basketball blog, we do try to keep tabs on the NBA and what’s going on at the next level every once in awhile. And with so many former Big Ten players trying to make it at the next level this year, it’s important to keep tabs on the NBA Draft.
Well, some interesting reports came out early this week suggesting this year’s Draft might be delayed again. It was delayed earlier this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and it looks like that might be happening once again:
The league has informed teams of a potential revised 2020 NBA Draft date of November 18, sources tell ESPN. The NBA and NBPA have been negotiating on that new date.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 9, 2020
A draft in November feels weird, but so has everything this year. Looks like fans will have to wait a big longer to see where their favorite players might land.
For those who need reminding, here’s the Lottery order this year:
2020 NBA Draft Order:
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) August 21, 2020
1. Minnesota
2. Golden State
3. Charlotte
4. Chicago
5. Cleveland
6. Atlanta
7. Detroit
8. New York
9. Washington
10. Phoenix
11. San Antonio
12. Sacramento
13. New Orleans
14. Boston
2. Are we going to see some non-con games after all?
Ever since the Big Ten’s announcement eliminating non-conference play for fall sports earlier this summer (followed by a postponement of play), most figured the same would carry over to basketball season. With so much uncertainty, reducing the number of opponents, reducing the number of games, and eliminating some of the risk of exposure to COVID-19 all seemed like reasonable goals and reasons to eliminate non-con play.
However, Jon Rothstein has been posting some interesting reports lately that suggest some non-conference games still might be on the table.
He posted this:
Sources: Several conference executives have informed programs in their respective leagues that they should plan on playing up to EIGHT non-conference games following the NCAA's expected start date announcement next week.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) September 10, 2020
And this:
Sources: While Orlando has emerged as a bubble location for many early season tournaments in college basketball, four signature events --- Champions Classic, Jimmy V Classic, ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and SEC/Big 12 Challenge --- have emerged as primary priorities above others.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) September 8, 2020
Rothstein is just one reporter and a lot of this might end up being hot air, but at least these discussions are happening now. We saw how things fell apart for Big Ten football when the decision makers waited until the last minute to try and salvage the season and it’s encouraging to see basketball working ahead of time. Let’s hope they can get things figured out, so we can get at least a watered down non-conference season.
3. Other non-conference events up in the air.
And while we’re on the topic of non-conference events, it’s worth hitting on two others. Indiana and Purdue are both set to play in marquee non-conference tournaments this year and many have wondered how those might look in the COVID-19 era.
Well, we also got some interesting updates on those as well:
Source: While the Maui Invitational was initially set to begin on 11/23 & end on 11/25, the event continues to consider alternative dates and locations, including Asheville and Indianapolis.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) September 10, 2020
Field includes UNC, Indiana, Alabama, Texas, Stanford, Providence, UNLV, & Davidson. https://t.co/b4HU8APAcZ
Sources: The Cancun Challenge is considering shifting its start date to 11/25 instead of 11/24 if the NCAA approves a start date of 11/25 next week.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) September 10, 2020
Matchups: Purdue/Illinois State, Mississippi State/Clemson.
With so much uncertainty out there still, it seems reasonable to shift some of these non-conference events. But it sure would be something to see these tournaments played somewhere in the mainland. We will have to wait and see how it all goes down.
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