Seton Hall’s non-conference schedule was thrown into further disarray Monday with the news that the Orlando Invitational and all the other non-conference events in Orlando sponsored by ESPN have been canceled due to disagreements over COVID-19 protocols.
The Pirates were tentatively slated to meet UCLA and then either Kansas or Boise State in the Orlando Invitational Nov. 25-27, but The Athletic first reported all the Orlando events are now off.
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Asked what it means for Seton Hall’s non-conference schedule, coach Kevin Willard texted NJ Advance Media, “Don’t know.”
Seton Hall has a home game with Baylor Nov. 29 and plays at Rhode Island Dec. 2. It’s still unclear where the Baylor game will be played. Various other games — Rutgers, Penn State and Saint Peter’s — are in flux.
“I think Big East play is supposed to start somewhere around the 13th [of December] so we’re just trying to fit some more games in that week but also balance finals [Dec. 7-11],” Willard said recently. The ACC-Big Ten Challenge is also set for Dec. 8-9, so Rutgers couldn’t play Seton Hall then.
“We’re all trying to work together but everything’s in flux,” Willard said.
As for the Orlando events, the cancellation impacts 10 events owned by ESPN and more than two dozen schools who were slated to play in the events, including blue bloods Duke, Kentucky, Kansas and Michigan State.
“ESPN Events set out to create a protected environment for teams to participate in early-season events in Orlando,” the network said in a statement. “Based on certain challenges surrounding testing protocols, we opted to resume these tournaments during the 2021-22 season.”
One key issue separating the sides was whether players had to be re-tested for COVID-19 within 90 days of testing positive.
“The 90-day testing protocol became the key sticking point,” ESPN’s Clint Overby told The Athletic. “Once we laid that out there were individual schools who couldn’t agree because their conference rules are more open-ended with respect to when you test someone again who has contracted the virus.”
The two showcase events slated for Orlando were the Champions Classic set for Dec. 2 and the Jimmy V Classic Dec. 3. Duke was slated to meet Michigan State, Kentucky was paired with Kentucky for the Champions Classic. It’s unclear when or where a rescheduled event would happen. College basketball insider Jon Rothstein tweeted Indianapolis was the favorite to host both events.
In the meantime, more than 30 teams from seven conferences are slated to participate in multiple pods and non-conference events not owned by ESPN at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. It has been dubbed “Bubbleville.”
“It’s a single site, secluded location, with enormous square footage for social distancing,” Greg Procino, vice president of basketball operations for the Hall of Fame, told the Associated Press. “There are a lot of things that will work in our favor.”
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media.