Are Fan-Free ACC basketball Tournaments Worth The Risk?

Contesting regular-season college basketball games in nearly empty arenas has been strange and sad enough in these Covid-19 times, but this week brought news that the arrangement would extend to the men’s and women’s ACC basketball tournaments as well. 

In fact, according to Thursday’s announcement, attendance at those Greensboro, N.C., events will be limited to family and personal guests of team personnel. 

“Based on current North Carolina state regulations, no public tickets will be available,” the ACC said in a statement.  

ACC women’s programs, sans Duke and Virginia — both of which canceled their seasons in January — will convene at the Greensboro Coliseum from March 3-7 for the 21st time in the past 22 years. It’s possible additional women’s programs, especially Syracuse and others most impacted by Covid-19 outbreaks, will choose not to travel to Greensboro this year. 

At some point the question becomes: Is it even worth playing a fan-less ACC Tournament with a Swiss-cheese feel to the bracket? And would it even be fair, should the tournament become watered-down enough, for the tournament champion to gain an automatic berth to the NCAA women’s tournament in San Antonio?

On the men’s side, play is set to run from March 9-13 at the same 22,000-seat facility. Freshman standout Jalen Johnson won’t be there after opting out of Duke’s disappointing season this week, but how many other individuals and programs will follow suit when travel has been dicey all season?  

There’s also the aspect of an all-Indiana NCAA Tournament “bubble” in which teams must test negative for Covid-19 for seven straight days before arriving for competition. The possibility of a last-minute virus outbreak after traveling to Greensboro for as little as a one-and-done experience could give serious pause to administrators and coaches at schools that have all but punched their tickets into the Field of 68. 

Earlier in February, the BIg Ten Conference announced it was moving its men’s basketball tournament (March 10-14) from Chicago’s United Center to cavernous Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis while the women’s event would be contested a few blocks to the north at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. 

Fan attendance policies had yet to be announced, but on Friday the NCAA announced its men’s tournament would allow fan attendance at up to 25-percent capacity while the latter stages of the women’s NCAA tournament would allow fans at up to 17-percent capacity.  

“Decisions related to conference policies and procedures are made by the league’s membership,” the ACC office said in a statement. “Our schools are committed to playing the ACC men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.”

The ACC office added that, depending on changes in statewide Covid-19 regulations for North Carolina, it could take that information “under consideration” when it comes to admitting fans. 

The Greensboro Coliseum Complex will follow the Patron Health Initiative, the ACC emphasized, which includes mandatory face coverings at all times for “every person in the facility.” The only exception is for those audience members “actively eating and drinking” in their seats. 

Still, the question looms for the ACC when it comes to holding its tradition-soaked tournaments: Is it worth the risk this year?