In a whirlwind 24 hours, the Gamecocks went from having a golden opportunity in front of them to potentially facing the end of their season.
The SEC canceled its conference tournament, meaning the Gamecocks’ season is over outside of a NCAA Tournament or NIT selection, if those even happen now with precautions rolling in hourly to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
The Gamecocks seem like a long shot for the NCAA Tournament but Frank Martin said he would gladly accept an NIT bid if it was offered.
“What we have to figure out now is if someone wants us to play in their event,” he said. “If anyone gives us the opportunity, we’ll play. That’s assuming once those decision are made, we have to make decisions if we want to expose our athletes and school personnel.”
Also see: What we learned from baseball's non-conference slate
The Gamecocks will head home Thursday and begin meeting with campus officials and university personnel about their next steps.
The campus is currently closed for the next two weeks to try and halt the spread of corona and if the Gamecocks were to accept a bid to the NIT, which hasn’t been canceled yet, it would likely have some logistical problems to come along with it.
“It’s not just being at the event, it’s about being away from our families. It’s unknowns. It’s not a hurricane, it’s not an earthquake; it’s not a tornado. It’s an unknown,” Martin said. “I’ve heard of the other ones like SARS and H1N1. They were all serious, but I don’t remember us being in an uproar like we’re in right now. There’s an unbelievable unknown. Any time there’s unknown, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
The NIT seems like the likeliest of options with the NCAA Tournament off the table after the Gamecocks (18-13, 10-8 SEC) lost at Vanderbilt Saturday to end their regular season.
They came to Nashville needing at least three wins to maybe play its way back onto the bubble, and now they won’t get the chance.
Also see: Who will be the next to commit for football?
“The decisions on who’s in and who’s out have not been made. As optimistic I am about everything in my life, I’m not optimistic to think we’re a shoe in for the NCAA tournament,” Martin said. “I get it. That’s why we were so excited about coming to compete here. We knew we were good enough to beat Kentucky, which means you’re good enough to line up and beat anybody. Not having that opportunity leaves a lot of unknown out there.”
Conference tournaments across the country have been canceled and there’s no word right now on if the NCAA Tournament or NIT won’t happen this year because of Coronavirus.
Almost every professional sport has suspended its league until further notice and the SEC has halted all competition through at least March 30.
Martin did say, if it’s possible, the NCAA Tournament should be played at a later date.
It’s complicated. If they can figure it out, why not? Push it back to June and play it to June,” he said. “My heart goes out to seniors because they don’t get to do this again. I know the sacrifice they put in. if it can be done, why not? At the same time, we have to do what’s right. What’s right isn’t always convenient.”
