We just referenced that Duke has withdrawn from the A C C tournament ending this season.

For more.

On that, we bring in the one and only J.

Bill is J.

Bill is welcome to the show.

Thank you for being here.

Let's get right to it.

The Blue The Duke Blue Devils were struggling throughout the season, but they are the two game winning streak.

Uh, they were vying to make the N C Double A tournament.

They were gonna have to win a tournament.

But then, all of a sudden, the season gets canceled because of covid.

What happened here, Jay?

Well, after the wind that Duke had against Louisville, they decided that they were going to travel back and forth between Durham and Greensboro instead of staying in a Greensboro hotel.

It's about a 45 50 minute bus ride, and they have been Stephen, a living essentially in isolation.

Two players in a hotel on campus called the Washington Duke Inn.

It's it's really a luxury hotel.

Each player has his own room, so they've been very careful throughout this and haven't had a Tier one positive test throughout the year.

But last night, after the Louisville game, they, the team tested and then one player when they got the results back, kind of in the middle of the night had tested positive for covid.

And due to contact tracing protocols, they would be out for a period of time and, uh, and decided that they couldn't play the game against Florida State in the quarterfinal that was supposed to be tonight at 6 30.

So the athletic director Kevin White and consultation with medical professionals and all that they all the people they've consulted throughout the course of the year on Covid issues decided that it was the only course to shut the season down.

So Duke will not play again this year, even even if they were somehow selected for the Double A tournament or the N i T.

Whatever it be, they're not going to play again.

Devastating for the college kids devastating for the program.

Overall, we're used to seeing, however, such an incredible level of success season after season from Mike Wazowski and this program that wasn't necessarily the case this year.

What chance were you giving them to actually win the A C C tournament and make it to the N C double A tournament when the A.

C C tournament very slim.

They'd have to win five games to do that.

I didn't think they were going to do that.

But But Stephen A.

I thought if Duke beat Florida State tonight, they get in.

That's how you know how weak the end of the line is, Uh, and and Duke has got enough quality winds to make the field.

You add on a win over Florida State, and I think that would seal the deal for a number of quality wins.

The only question you would have would be did they suffer too many losses.

But but given the way they're playing at the end of the year, it would just be a comparison.

You know, how do they compare against a team like Utah State or something like that or Belmont Xavier and they probably would have more quality wins.

It's just a question of the number of losses that they had and how they did against their schedule versus how a competitive team did against theirs, and that's really the tough selection when you're comparing teams that haven't played as toughest schedule schedule and one against it versus teams like Duke.

That played a tougher schedule and didn't win as often.

J put it all in perspective for us, not just about Duke, but the n C double A tournament altogether.

I mean, it's about to come.

It's about to jump start March Madness, as they say, if this happens to anybody, this season is over from this point forward, and I can't imagine how anybody is going to be able to make it through or everybody rather is going to be able to make it through the next month or so.

How fearful are you that another incident like this could happen, particularly the one of the major programs that's potentially a favorite to win the national title?

Well, I certainly have concerns that this could happen to individual teams, but Stephen A.

Nothing is going to derail this tournament.

Nothing, Uh, they have decided that they were from the very beginning.

We're going to play this and and it's really and I don't mean to be crashed about this, but it's a money issue, Uh, the powers that be a feel like we have to play and look, I've heard all this stuff throughout the year, and it's not that I disagree with it, but the idea about, well, the kids want to play, and we want to do this for the kids and all that stuff.

I I disagree with calling them kids.

They're adults, but but really, what we're talking about here are these institutions, as as media rights holders and all these leagues as media rights consortiums and and they're providing, you know, sort of entertain an entertainment product that they are obligated to provide.

So earlier, when you heard coaches talk about I don't know about playing in our conference tournament because it could compromise is for the tournament.

They were told by their administrators and their bosses.

They stop saying that we're playing, We owe our media rights partners.

All these games were a content provider we're playing.

So quit saying that we're not going to play, we're playing Gonzaga played everybody's playing, Uh, and it's not because you know of the kids want to play.

It's because they owe media rights partners like us.

Uh, a lot of content, and so that's a big part of this.

So we're playing.

And you know, the funny part Stephen about this is the players have been in total isolation.

There'll be even more in total isolation.

Once they get to to Indianapolis, they're not allowed to leave their hotels.

Even the selection committee.

Who is going to be there for a month?

They're not allowed to leave their hotel unless they're actually going to the arena.

Want to go out and go for a walk wearing your mask?

Can't do it.

They're going to be in the hotel the entire time.

There, there.

Jay Bilas.

The great J.

Bill is right here with George.

Truly thanks so much.

But I really appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule.

Thank you, Stephen.