The NCAA got the Oregon State men’s basketball team out of Indiana as quickly as possible after the Beavers were eliminated from the NCAA tournament.
The Beavers tipped off their Elite Eight game against Houston at 7:15 p.m. ET in Indianapolis. They suffered a 67-61 loss and, according to The Oregonian’s Nick Daschel, were told to immediately pack up their hotels rooms and get on a 1:15 a.m. flight home.
The flight was scheduled to arrive at 2:52 a.m. local time, Pacific Time, in Eugene, Oregon. The NCAA has been governing the tournament more than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic shifting it to a bubble-like atmosphere in Indiana.
It was the latest in a series of situations in which people have called out the NCAA for mistreating athletes throughout the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments. It started with men’s players using #NotNCAAProperty to promote student-athletes’ rights, and reached a crescendo with the disparities between the men’s tournament in Indianapolis and the women’s tournament in San Antonio, which was signified by the lack of weight room offered to the women.
The NCAA is seemingly paying attention to some of the concerns, improving the workout area and reportedly setting up a Thursday meeting between NCAA president Mark Emmert and the leaders of the #NotNCAAProperty group.
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