The Basketball Hall of Fame and the Gazelle Group have made a proposal to the NCAA to hold a men's college basketball "bubble" tournament at Mohegan Sun later this year.
Hall of Fame vice president of operations Greg Procino and Mohegan Sun gaming and entertainment CMO told NBC Connecticut they have submitted the proposal to the NCAA and to more than 80 colleges.
The tournament would be held over a 10-12 day period and would possibly be held in mid-December.
"I would say at the moment there's a lot of curiosity about this because there are some short-term NCAA decisions that's going to be made in the coming days that will trip this being a reality, because, at the moment, it's a concept, right?" Procino said. Every school in America has existing commitments on the books, so this is going to be a seismic shift in the way college basketball is played."
The proposal includes a tournament that would include 20 to 24 teams but could include more.
Players and staff would be required to test negative for COVID-19 before leaving campus. They would then undergo a nasal swab test when they arrive at Mohegan Sun and would have to quarantine until that test returns with a negative result. From that point, players and staff would be given a saliva test every other day.
The teams would stay on protected floors at Mohegan's hotel only accessible to players, coaches, and staff.
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Four games would be played in the Mohegan Sun Arena each day during the tournament. The expo center would be set up with practice courts and an athletic training center.
The NCAA has not made any decisions yet on how it will proceed with a basketball schedule this year.
