Bohannon frustrated with NCAA’s handling of schedules
By Tyler Devine
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Whether it be taking a locker room rug after Iowa was eliminated from the 2019 NCAA Tournament, or weighing in on college athletes getting paid, senior guard Jordan Bohannon has never been shy about his frustrations with the NCAA.
Bohannon’s most recent frustration is that his team still doesn’t know who or where it’s going to play nine days before the season opener on Nov. 25.
“It’s kind of frustrating individually and team-wise,” Bohannon said. “Because knowing how good we are this year, we kind of just want to know what the plan is for this year and there’s really no plan that’s been implemented by the conference or the NCAA. So, we’re just waiting around and seeing. But right now, we’re just making the most of the days we have right now and not taking anything for granted.”
NCAA rolling out a “plan” for a tournament in March/April but nothing being communicated about the regular season that starts next week… pic.twitter.com/z6wMyzGERA
— Jordan Bohannon (@JordanBo_3) November 16, 2020
The fifth-ranked Hawkeyes do know, however, when the NCAA Tournament will be played should they make the 68-team field.
Iowa is expected by many to not only compete for the Big Ten title, but also make a run at its first Final Four appearance since 1980.
The NCAA announced Monday that it decided that the NCAA Tournament should take place in a single geographic area and that it is in talks with the city of Indianapolis to potentially host the tournament in March and April.
Senior center and reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Luka Garza said that his focus is on preparing for whichever opponent Iowa faces.
“I think every day our team is just trying to get better,” Garza said. “And I think there is a lot of uncertainty about everything, when you see all these other teams, or you see people saying that the season should be delayed or whatever the case may be. I think the main thing we can try to do as a basketball team is just to focus on improving ourselves until the day comes that we’re playing another team.”
The uncertainty doesn’t end with the schedule because it remains to be seen if the college basketball season will make it to the NCAA Tournament amid the COVID-19 pandemic that caused the 2020 Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament to be canceled.
Bohannon, a native of Marion, did not mince words Monday when asked if he felt his final season as a Hawkeye would finish as expected.
“I have faith there will be an NCAA tournament because that’s where the money comes from,” Bohannon said.