2022 WCC Schedule and COVID Concerns

USF has one less game played than the Pilots so far so I’m assuming the Dons just had an open slot for the Loyola Chicago game.

I would guess it would be much more likely the WCC would shorten the conference schedule rather than change the date of the tourney. I’m sure ESPN has some money headed the conference’s way to broadcast from Vegas on those specific days.

I hope I'm wrong, but it could be that the covid pauses among WCC teams over the past couple of weeks are just the tip of the iceberg. Omicron is still ramping up, especially on the west coast.

Or maybe every single WCC basketball player, coach, equipment manager etc will have caught omicron within the next couple of weeks and have enough immunity thereafter to prevent further outbreaks for the rest of the season...

Dean Murdoch wrote:I would guess it would be much more likely the WCC would shorten the conference schedule rather than change the date of the tourney. I’m sure ESPN has some money headed the conference’s way to broadcast from Vegas on those specific days.

$$$ Oh yeah, that and the fact the WAC Tournament literally comes into the Orleans Arena on top of the WCC Tournament…so no delays allowed.

And remember, the WCC has experience with canceling and rescheduling from last season...eventually doing in on the fly in an attempt to give the better teams a chance to play those with higher NET ratings.  And when teams did not play an equal number of games (example: mercifully, UP played just 11 league games while GU played 15, USD and SCU just 9) the league implemented an adjusted standing format that considered strength of schedule, not just wins and losses.

Unless there is yet another new highly contagious variant, I don’t believe this year will get as crazy as last year because now almost all players are vaccinated (both UP teams are 100%) and are generally asymptomatic even when testing positive.  But if games continue to be canceled and the league runs out of time to make them up, there is a familiar format that can be implemented to get the teams seeded for Las Vegas and get more than one team into the Tournament.

DoubleDipper wrote:I don't know if Kentucky and Gonzaga will play, but apparently USF and Sister Jean's team, Loyola-Chicago, will meet on Thursday.

Apparently no TV for this one, but the WCC Network will be streaming the game from Salt Lake City CC at 11am pacific.

https://wccsports.com/watch/?sid=475739

Do you suppose the BYU fans will come out and support USF?  

I'm fired up for this USF/Loyola game. Makes me wish the old Bracket Busters event would come back, there were some great matchups over the years through that one!

So UP/LMU postponed and almost immediately rescheduled. UP/SCU postponed and almost immediately rescheduled. I was going to say that I was wondering if the lack of a new date for UP/BYU being announced meant that it might not be played, but I just saw this on Twitter -

@GregWrubell wrote:“Portland and BYU are also actively working on rescheduling the previously postponed Jan. 1 game at the Chiles Center.”

STOP THE PRESSES! A WCC conference game was played today! BYU beat Pacific in Provo.

And USF lost to Loyola in Salt Lake City. I was able to watch just the last minutes of this one. USF had plenty of opportunity to win, but shot themselves in the foot several times in the closing minutes with bad decisions, bad shots and turnovers.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:shot themselves in the foot several times in the closing minutes with bad decisions, bad shots and turnovers.

Smacks of a cut and paste job.

Don’t look now but it’s only a few hours to tip-off and there’s still 3 games on tonight’s WCC docket!

Dean Murdoch wrote:Don’t look now but it’s only a few hours to tip-off and there’s still 3 games on tonight’s WCC docket!

...and all three of those games will be televised in the Portland area.

In an unfortunate scheduling twist for UP, San Diego, playing at USF today, will have two games under their belt when they face the Pilots at home on Thursday after USD travels to Malibu on Monday.

The Pilots have been idle since the team was jelling while beating UC-Davis sometime last year...

DoubleDipper wrote:The Pilots have been idle since the team was jelling while beating UC-Davis sometime last year...

I doubt they’ll play all 16 games now. Any chance of a last minute home game against a team from a lower division like Columbia Bible College or the University of Washington?

Dean Murdoch wrote:I doubt they’ll play all 16 games now. Any chance of a last minute home game against a team from a lower division like Columbia Bible College or the University of Washington?

That would be nice, but apparently, no!

UP has to go by the assumption they will play all 16 games at this point (the only postponed game that has not been rescheduled is BYU in Portland), and apparently it is an NCAA rules problem to fit in another secret scrimmage based on UP's maxed-out schedule.

However, I believe it would be NCAA legal for us to come together as the "PilotNation Arthritics" to scrimmage with the guys.  I have seen DTLegend sink critical free-throws under pressure in Las Vegas, so I know we'd at least be competitive.

up7587 wrote:A lot of teams are affected by a layoff. Hope it doesn't hurt Pilots too much.

Good article...and something for all of us to consider when we've been away from conditioning for a while.

The guys are back at it, scrimmaging against themselves.  

DoubleDipper wrote:Good article...and something for all of us to consider when we've been away from conditioning for a while.

Haha, good one, DD...I heard the Port Way Tavern is open for business again.  

But yeah, the guys better be in shape with away games this coming Thursday, Saturday, and Monday.

StudentPilot wrote:
I heard the Port Way Tavern is open for business again.  

Not sure where you got your intel, but I drove past it on my way home tonight. It appears to still be closed.

If you want to go to the Portway Tavern, you will need to go to the one in Astoria. Solid dive bar in a drinking town with a fishing problem!

blacksheep wrote: dive bar in a drinking town with a fishing problem!

Sister city to Key West and Cabo San Lucas?

<Edit> Should have figured.

Astoria’s sister city is Waldorf Germany, birthplace of John Jacob Astor.

blacksheep wrote:Not sure where you got your intel, but I drove past it on my way home tonight. It appears to still be closed.

That's too bad, it was/is a nice place to hang out.

We're not going anywhere soon though, as almost all of us are back in town from winter break but are self-quarantining and picking up our COVID self-test kits at the Chiles Center or Merlo Field.

Online classes only until January 24th, but many like it that way.  

I have not seen any basketball players...they have probably been told to avoid the rest of the student-body until we are declared safe.

StudentPilot wrote:We're not going anywhere soon though, as almost all of us are back in town from winter break but are self-quarantining and picking up our COVID self-test kits at the Chiles Center or Merlo Field.

Online classes only until January 24th, but many like it that way.  

I have not seen any basketball players...they have probably been told to avoid the rest of the student-body until we are declared safe.

During the entire first semester, UP had 56 total positive tests for COVID, and this semester, dating back to January 3, there are 116 positive cases...so far!

All students, faculty, and staff must be fully vaccinated and boosted, and must submit their COVID test results for this semester by tomorrow afternoon.  Surprisingly, since I took a lot of planes, trains, and automobiles during winter break while traveling to and from Puerto Rico, I tested negative!!

USF @ UP this Thursday is no longer happening. The WCC is now sending USF to Spokane to play GU instead.

Dean Murdoch wrote:USF @ UP this Thursday is no longer happening. The WCC is now sending USF to Spokane to play GU instead.

Hmm, will it be a double-header?  The UP women are in Spokane on Thursday.

After GU's game next Thursday against UOP was postponed, GU was not scheduled to play again for 12 days, on January 27.

The change is somewhat understandable from GU's and USF's standpoint, but if it leaves a hole in UP's schedule it is not acceptable.

Pacific will be on their COVID pause, which left GU with no one to play before USF slipped in, and the 8 other WCC teams are already scheduled to play...

DoubleDipper wrote:
Hmm, will it be a double-header?  The UP women are in Spokane on Thursday ..

$5 says there is a COVID pause on the Zag womens team.

Dean Murdoch wrote:USF @ UP this Thursday is no longer happening. The WCC is now sending USF to Spokane to play GU instead.

Wait.
They cancelled a regular season game so USF and the Zags could play a COVID postponed game?


It’s a tough world when you can’t get teams in your own conference to schedule you.

Geezaldinho wrote:Wait.
They cancelled a regular season game so USF and the Zags could play a COVID postponed game?

I originally had the same thought, that it was complete BS that the Pilots would now not have Gonzaga, BYU, or USF at home this year.

But it seems as though this is more of a reschedule than a postponement as per AD Scott.

@sleykam wrote: Another day, another schedule change. @PortlandMBB will now host USF on Saturday, February 5 at 5:00 PM instead of this coming Thursday (January 20). We will then return the favor and be at USF on Tuesday, February 8.

One of those situations that works for everyone. Gives us a couple needed days off after a 3 game trip through Southern California. Also prefer Saturday home games over Thursday home games.