The NCAA will start the college basketball season on November 25th.
What We Know:
- The NCAA Division I Council voted to start the 2020-2021 college basketball season on November 25th, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. The Wednesday vote included some additional measures such as banning recruitment visits until January 1st, eliminating scrimmages and exhibitions this season, reducing regular-season capacity by four games, and allowing teams to practice up to 12 hours a week starting September 21st.
- The 2019-2020 college basketball season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic, including the scrapping of the March Madness tournament. The 2020-2021 season was initially scheduled to start November 10th, but the NCAA pushed it back because of the pandemic.
- College sports have been in limbo during the whole pandemic situation. The Pac-12 and Big Ten conferences have delayed their football seasons and have not committed to starting the basketball season on time. Additionally, mid-major schools could struggle financially if they don’t get games against major conference schools.
- According to ESPN’s Myron Medcalf, one non-Power Five school coach told him that it would be “impossible” to schedule a basketball season because of the financial concerns. With no commitment from the Pac-12 and Big Ten and financial concerns from a majority of Division I programs, the NCAA has many questions that they need answers for over the next couple of months.
- Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski stressed the financial implications of canceling the 2020 March tournament and what it would mean to not have it for a second consecutive season. “It produces about 98 percent or more of the money for the NCAA. We need to have the tournament. We can’t have it where two years in a row you don’t have the NCAA tournament.
According to Rothstein, the NCAA has eight early-season tournaments planned. It’s unclear how many games will be played or whether there will be an in-person audience, but the NCAA plans on holding these games in Orlando, Florida, similar to the bubble atmosphere of the NBA and WNBA.
