NCAA announces new start date for college basketball. Here’s what it means for KU
The NCAA Division I Council has deemed Nov. 25 the official start date for the 2020-21 men’s and women’s college basketball seasons, the NCAA announced in a release on Wednesday night.
The Council’s vote for the 25th means the first game of the season has been pushed back 15 days in response to the continuing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Nov. 10 was the original date for the Kansas Jayhawks men’s season-opening game at the Champions Classic in Chicago. The new start date is the day before Thanksgiving.
According to the NCAA, teams can begin practicing on Oct. 14, which is 42 days prior to Nov. 25. The original start of practice was to have been Sept. 26.
The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball oversight committees asked the NCAA Council to consider a starting date of Nov. 21.
Teams will be able to practice eight hours a week on the court (with coaches), instead of the current four hours, starting Monday up until Oct. 14. Teams will be able to lift weights four hours per week.
Games have been reduced by four from 31 to 27 maximum. Normally, teams play 31 games in a season.
“We have known of the possibility of our season being pushed back for some time, but I am glad the NCAA was able to determine a date so we can work the next couple of weeks on updating our schedule that won’t drastically alter our nonconference dates and opponents. I know our administration will do everything they can to fulfill the 27-game schedule that puts our team in the safest environment to compete,” KU coach Bill Self said Wednesday.
KU athletic director Jeff Long noted that KU hoped to play “all of those competitions (allowed). Again, and that’s all dependent on our team staying healthy and not having to postpone games due to the COVID virus,” Long added Wednesday at KU’s Board of Directors meeting.
The NCAA won’t allow scrimmages or exhibitions in the preseason. This means there will be no exhibition game between KU and one of the Division II schools in the state and no “secret scrimmage” between KU and another Division I school. Self had told The Star recently that KU was planning on having one exhibition and one secret scrimmage this season in preparation for the Champions Classic.
Long said KU will be working on finalizing a schedule.
“Based on the NCAA pushing the start of men’s basketball to November 25th, we are working with the Big 12 Conference to create a new schedule surrounding the parameters of today’s decision,” Long said. “We fully intend on filling the maximum 27-game limit with 18 conference games and nine non-conference quality opponents. At this time, we do not have updates on the dates or locations of the State Farm Champions Classic or Wooden Legacy Tournament, but will work with the organizers to determine when and where these games will take place. Once that has been finalized, as well as our updated non-conference details, we will share a new 2020-21 men’s basketball schedule.”
CBSsports.com’s Jon Rothstein reported Tuesday that the Champions Classic (KU vs. Kentucky; Michigan State vs. Duke) will be played at a yet-to-be-determined date in Orlando, Florida, site of the NBA’s “bubble” at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. Rothstein said the Wooden Legacy, involving KU, Virginia, Georgetown and UCLA also would be held in the bubble.
Prior to Wednesday’s vote, it had been speculated that late November would be a logical time to start playing games because students will be away from campuses for Thanksgiving break.
At KU, for instance, students begin Thanksgiving break on Nov. 24. They do not return to Lawrence for the start of second-semester classes until Feb. 1. Second-semester classes end May 6.
Finals at KU, to be taken online, are slated for Dec. 7-11 following “study week” set from Nov. 30-Dec. 4.
“Moving the start date back from Nov. 10 is intended to have contests begin when at least three-quarters of Division I schools will have concluded their fall terms or moved remaining instruction and exams online, creating a more controlled and less populated campus environment that may reduce the risk of COVID-19 that can occur between student-athletes and the broader student body population,” the Division I Men’s and Women’s Oversight Committees said in an NCAA release.
The release continued: “The maximum number of contests was reduced by four, given that the season will start 15 days later than originally scheduled. In men’s basketball, teams can schedule 24 regular-season games and participate in one multiple-team event that includes up to three games; 25 regular-season games and participate in one multiple-team event that includes up to two games; or 25 regular-season games if a team does not participate in a multiple-team event.”
It should be noted that individual conferences and teams could start later than Nov. 25 if they choose to do so in response to the pandemic.
According to the NCAA, teams will be considered “for NCAA championship selection if they play 13 games, which represents a 50 percent reduction of the current minimum.
“For NCAA championship consideration, all 13 games must be against another Division I opponent. The Division I Men’s Basketball and Division I Women’s Basketball committees also recommended teams play a minimum of four nonconference games.”
Dan Gavitt, NCAA senior vice president of basketball said: “The new season start date near the Thanksgiving holiday provides the optimal opportunity to successfully launch the basketball season. It is a grand compromise of sorts and a unified approach that focuses on the health and safety of student-athletes competing towards the 2021 Division I basketball championships.”
This story was originally published September 16, 2020 at 6:46 PM with the headline "NCAA announces new start date for college basketball. Here’s what it means for KU."
