ellitor 33,062 Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 Quote NCAA 'leaning toward' delaying basketball season 2 weeks Nathan King • AuburnSports Staff @byNathanKing Auburn fans may not see their 2020-21 Tigers on the hardwood for the first time until Thanksgiving week. The NCAA Men's Basketball Oversight Committee is currently "leaning toward" pushing the season back to Nov. 25 from its original start date of Nov. 10, NCAA.com's Andy Katz said Friday. The oversight committee recently recommended two revised start dates for the season — Nov. 25 and Dec. 6. The NCAA prefers the former to take advantage of college campuses mostly vacated of students. Many schools across the country have abbreviated their 2020 fall semesters and will end in-person instruction prior to Thanksgiving break. Bruce Pearl coaches up his Auburn team during the 2019 Final Four semis against Virginia. (David J. Phillip / AP Images) Auburn, for example, ends in-person classes Nov. 24 and is not scheduled to begin again until Jan. 6. "Presidents would be much more likely to endorse a plan that starts Thanksgiving week or the week after, rather than Nov. 10, once this fall semester or first quarter is done with in-person learning," Katz said. Katz explained that there are two "schools of thought" when it comes to scheduling for the upcoming hoops season — keep some nonconference games on the docket if they can be played safely, or nix them altogether and go with an expanded conference schedule. Nonconference event organizers — such as the Orlando Invitational that Auburn is set to play in Thanksgiving week — are discussing the prospects of creating NBA Bubble-like environments by condensing multiple tournament fields to one location, like Orlando, Las Vegas or Indianapolis. "Teams could arrive and play three (nonconference) games, four games, five games, six games ... all under one roof, with the same testing protocols," Katz said. Uniform COVID-19 testing regulations were a big reason why conference-only football schedules were almost universally adopted among major programs. If college basketball can get on the same page for large nonconference events, some of those games could be salvaged. "It would allow these programs to get quality nonconference games in a safe manner," Katz said. Katz said there is "no appetite" among college basketball leaders for a bubble during conference games, as programs will likely have to navigate that portion of the season with students on campus, as football teams are doing. The 2021 NCAA tournament, however, can be easily played in controlled environments, Katz said, as March Madness always places a handful of teams at a single location, even during normal seasons. "It's all about the regular season and how conferences can get their teams ready for an NCAA tournament," Katz said. "... If you can get at least 20 regular-season games, then you can have a legitimate regular season." According to Katz, the NCAA will make a final decision in mid-September when the 2020-21 college basketball season will tip off, and whether teams will play nonconference opponents or just a conference-only campaign. Auburn is slated to open the season Nov. 10 against North Alabama inside Auburn Arena. The only other nonconference game on the team's schedule that is to be played prior to Thanksgiving break is a road tilt at Washington on Nov. 19, but that game is currently off the table after the Pac-12 opted to cancel all sports until 2021. After the Orlando Invitational, Auburn is set to face South Alabama at home on Nov. 4, Memphis in the Holiday Hoopsgiving invitational in Atlanta on Dec. 12, and Murray State at home Dec. 22. SEC teams usually learn their upcoming conference opponents, as well as home and away designations for conference games, during the summer. The SEC has yet to announce any sort of schedule or team assignments for the 2020-21 season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dual-Threat Rigby 8,641 Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 Was going to say, with us being gone after thanksgivings, that's the perfect time. Not on topic, and possibly contentious, but this is yet another example of the disillusioning of the "student" part of their job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubiefifty 16,717 Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 NCAA approves Nov. 25 start date for basketball games Updated Sep 16, 2020; Posted Sep 16, 2020 The NCAA on Wednesday announced the first regular-season games for the 2020-21 basketball season can take place on Nov. 25. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett)AP By Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com The NCAA Division I Council on Wednesday set dates for the opening of practice and first regular-season game in men’s and women’s basketball. Teams can begin full practices on Oct. 14, with the first regular-season game as early as Nov. 25. The NCAA previously set Nov. 10 as the date for the first game, but has moved that back two weeks to coincide with the end of the fall semester at most Division I schools. “The new season start date near the Thanksgiving holiday provides the optimal opportunity to successfully launch the basketball season,” said Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s Senior Vice President of Basketball. “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.” RELATED: NCAA makes Election Day a day off from athletic activities The maximum number of games has also been reduced by four. Men’s basketball teams can now schedule up to 24 regular-season games if they participate in a 3-game tournament or 25 if they participate in a 2-game tournament or do not participate in a tournament. In women’s basketball, schools can schedule up to 23 regular-season games if they participate in a 4-game tournament or 25 if they do not participate in a tournament. Schools must play at least 13 games to be considered for the NCAA tournament. • The Council also made two significant changes to the football calendar: First, the recruiting dead period has been extended through Jan. 1. That means no on-campus recruiting can take place until that date. Also, the field for the FCS championship playoff has been reduced to 16 from 24. The playoff is set to take place April 18-May 15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravejd 3,269 Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 Can’t wait for nov 25th now!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger 8,818 Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 LETS. FREAKING. GO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jared52 4,354 Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 Better than nothing, that's 3 extra weeks of not having the comfort of AU basketball while the football season winds down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddc 13,194 Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 I think it’s a done deal now isn’t it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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