NCAA sets Nov. 25 as updated season start date

The basketball season has been set.

The NCAA announced Wednesday that its D1 Council has approved a start date of Nov. 25 for both men's and women's college basketball, which will only be 15 days after the original start date of Nov. 10.

While the new start date is only about two weeks later than originally intended it was picked for a specific reason. That will of course mark Thanksgiving Weekend, but it will also mark the end of the fall semester for many colleges meaning the departure of students from campuses across the country lowering the risk for any potential spread of the coronavirus while also allowing the potential for pod or bubble-type scenarios early in the season.

"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." the NCAA said in a press release Wednesday.

Unlike a normal year, the new schedule will not permit teams to hold closed preseason scrimmages or exhibition games ahead of the restart.

It also will change the total number of games allowed to be scheduled by each program. On the men's side the number will be reduced by four contests and be capped at 27.

On the women's side each team will be allowed to schedule 25 games during the regular season or 23 if a team opts to participate in a multi-team event that features four games.

There will be a minimum number of games, 13, that will have to be played for teams to be considered for the NCAA Tournament. The men's and women's committees also recommended that each team plays four nonconference games this season at a minimum.

“The new season start date near the Thanksgiving holiday provides the optimal opportunity to successfully launch the basketball season,” Dan Gavitt, NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball, said in a statement. “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.”

The NCAA has worked to ensure that the NCAA Tournament will be allowed to take place in the 2020-21 academic year after it was abruptly canceled in March at the onset of the widespread COVID-19 pandemic that forced the shutdown of the country back in March.

Official practices will be allowed to begin Oct. 14 for every team regardless of when its first game is scheduled and teams will have 42 days to hold 30 practices with the ability to work 20 hours per week and up to four hours per day.

Wednesday's announcement presents an interesting scenario for the Pac-12 since it is one of two conferences (Ivy League) that opted to postpone its basketball season when announcing its plan back in August to postpone fall sports.

There has been a growing sentiment behind the scenes that the Pac-12 would ultimately rescind that decision in favor of allowing its teams to participate in the college basketball season since the first day teams around the country are allowed back on the floor.

The fact that the season was pushed back at all could now allow the teams in the league an opportunity to do just that.

Arizona's men's team previously had four games scheduled to take place between Nov. 10 and Nov. 25 and 31 games total with nine of those being nonconference contests. The Wildcats also planned to participate in the NIT Season Tip-Off in Brooklyn starting Nov. 25 and that is now reportedly set to be moved to Orlando.

There are still plenty of items that need to be sorted out before the ball can begin bouncing once again, but the NCAA has done its part and it will be up to the Pac-12 to determine whether or not its teams will join the rest of the country and play in late November.

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