NCAA president Mark Emmert said that having a bubble for several sports, including basketball, was a "perfectly viable" option.

"Starting with 64 teams is tough. Thirty-two, OK, maybe that's a manageable number. Sixteen, certainly manageable," said Emmert.

Emmert was optimistic that COVID-19 testing would improve by this winter, where tests could be "turned around in 15 minutes instead of 15 days."

An event operator in Houston had proposed a three-week bubble allowing 20 teams to play a non-conference schedule in December. The plan was sent to over 50 programs.

John Calipari endorsed the bubble concept, saying that the NBA and WNBA provided a blueprint for success. 

Calipari also added that there was an opportunity after Thanksgiving to enact a bubble and play games.  

"The thing that's happened for all of us in basketball is the NBA and the WNBA have shown a path for us to have a season. The one thing every [college] campus seems to be doing is saying there's not going to be people on campus after Thanksgiving, so it probably opens up a door after Thanksgiving that even if we're not having fans that there's going to be a safe campus based on your team is going to be there by themselves."