CBS Sports' Matt Norlander shared the most recent updates on scenarios for the potential start of the college basketball season. Here's what we learned.
It looks as though there are four potential scenarios in play at this point:
1. No change to schedule (Practice Sept. 29, season starts Nov. 10)
2. Practice starts Oct. 9, season starts Nov. 20
3. Practice starts Oct. 14, season starts Nov. 25
4. Practice starts Oct. 24, season starts Dec. 4
These scenarios have not been decided on as the only options, but each has been presented to various decision-makers for feedback. Clearly, each scenario comes with its own set of other factors that would need consideration, most notably the impact on non-conference schedules. It appears that the floated idea of a Jan. 1 start date is losing momentum, while starting before or right after Thanksgiving is gaining momentum. This makes sense as it would be wise to take advantage of the winter break period when the majority of students won't be on campus.
The various committees that will be offering input on the situation are all expected to meet this week, and a tentative date of Aug. 31 is set for a meeting between the Men's and Women's oversight committees to nail down a start date/plan to be presented to the Division 1 Council. From there, the D-1 Council is expected to vote on a season start date on September 16.
Another area of discussion is when the NCAA Tournament would be played. The usual March timeline is still in play, but the idea of pushing it back to May has been floated. The delay would allow for more equitable evaluation of teams in conferences that have already postponed sports until the start of the new year (Pac-12, Ivy).
There appears to be some hope of an on-time start, but that starting around Thanksgiving seems to have the most momentum at this point.
At the very least, it looks like we'll get some more clarity on the situation over the next few weeks with hopefully a more solid plan by mid-September.
It looks as though there are four potential scenarios in play at this point:
1. No change to schedule (Practice Sept. 29, season starts Nov. 10)
2. Practice starts Oct. 9, season starts Nov. 20
3. Practice starts Oct. 14, season starts Nov. 25
4. Practice starts Oct. 24, season starts Dec. 4
These scenarios have not been decided on as the only options, but each has been presented to various decision-makers for feedback. Clearly, each scenario comes with its own set of other factors that would need consideration, most notably the impact on non-conference schedules. It appears that the floated idea of a Jan. 1 start date is losing momentum, while starting before or right after Thanksgiving is gaining momentum. This makes sense as it would be wise to take advantage of the winter break period when the majority of students won't be on campus.
The various committees that will be offering input on the situation are all expected to meet this week, and a tentative date of Aug. 31 is set for a meeting between the Men's and Women's oversight committees to nail down a start date/plan to be presented to the Division 1 Council. From there, the D-1 Council is expected to vote on a season start date on September 16.
Another area of discussion is when the NCAA Tournament would be played. The usual March timeline is still in play, but the idea of pushing it back to May has been floated. The delay would allow for more equitable evaluation of teams in conferences that have already postponed sports until the start of the new year (Pac-12, Ivy).
There appears to be some hope of an on-time start, but that starting around Thanksgiving seems to have the most momentum at this point.
At the very least, it looks like we'll get some more clarity on the situation over the next few weeks with hopefully a more solid plan by mid-September.