See how this week in sports would have unfolded in a world without the coronavirus
Monday marks the beginning of the third full week in a sports-free world because of the coronavirus pandemic, and basketball fans will likely feel especially acute pangs of loss this time around.
Aspiring bracket-pool champions should be busy crunching numbers to identify the scenario they’d need to play out in the Final Four this coming weekend in order to earn bragging rights around the office. Instead, we’re all left to contemplate what might have been.
There’s a small bit of consolation on tap for hoops fans. The 2020 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class is still scheduled to be revealed at noon EDT Saturday live on ESPN. Former University of Kentucky Coach Eddie Sutton and Kobe Bryant are among the finalists.
Championship weekend in the NCAA Tournament might be the most high-profile athletics endeavor scuttled by the coronavirus this week, but there was plenty of other entertainment on the schedule. Here’s a look at the fun sports fans will be missing:
Monday
The regional finals in the women’s NCAA Tournament would have been completed, cutting the field down to the Final Four. Eight NBA games were also scheduled, highlighted by a matchup between Western Conference playoff contenders Oklahoma City and Denver.
Tuesday
The semifinals in the men’s National Invitation Tournament would have played out Tuesday, along with four more NBA games.
Wednesday
High school hoops stars would have taken center stage during the boys’ and girls’ McDonald’s All-American games in Houston. The best-of-three championship series in the College Basketball Invitational would have gotten underway, and a packed slate of 10 NBA games would have been highlighted by a matchup between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, first-place Milwaukee and second-place Toronto.
Thursday
The men’s NIT champion would have been crowned and the first major of the season in the LPGA, the ANA Inspiration, would have teed off. Three NBA games were also on tap.
Thursday should have also been a special day for horse racing fans. Keeneland’s Spring Meet was set to kick off, ramping up anticipation for the Kentucky Derby. The meet was scheduled to run through April 24.
Friday
The semifinals of the women’s NCAA Tournament would have dropped the curtain on a huge weekend for college basketball. A rematch between Milwaukee and Toronto would have been the top draw among 11 NBA games.
Saturday
A proverbial feast should have been on the table for sports fans Saturday. The field for the NHL playoffs would have been set after the final day of the regular season. Two NBA games were also scheduled along with both Final Four matchups in the men’s NCAA Tournament in Atlanta, setting the stage for Monday’s championship game.
In Lexington, the Trinity and Tyson Gay Invitational track and field meet was scheduled at Lafayette High School. A major Kentucky Derby prep race, the Grade 2, $1 million Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, would have been the highlight of Keeneland’s race card. The Grade 1, $500,000 Central Bank Ashland Stakes was also scheduled.
Two other Kentucky Derby prep races would have been run: The Grade 1, $1 million Santa Anita Derby in California and the Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct in New York.
Sunday
Nearly every NBA team would have been in action Sunday as 14 games were scheduled. The LPGA’s first major champion of the year would have raised her trophy after the final round of the ANA Inspiration. A women’s NCAA Tournament champion would have also been crowned.
The NCAA Division II and III men’s basketball championship games would have been played in Atlanta, and Kentucky’s Mr. and Miss Basketball would have been named at Griffin Gate Marriott in Lexington.
One of the most famous tracks in NASCAR, Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, would have hosted the Food City 500.
