After days of rumors and reports, the expected college basketball start date is officially confirmed.
The 2020-21 college basketball season will begin on Wednesday, Nov. 25. The decision comes after the NCAA Division-I Council met Wednesday to approve the start date and other information related to the COVID-19-impacted season.
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Official practice is set to begin six weeks prior on Oct. 14. Teams can also begin practicing up to 12 hours per week starting on Sept. 21. According to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, these dates are official but could be pushed back again if circumstances worsen.
The start date figures to shuffle around several games and tournaments in the early part of the season. The original opening date was slated for Nov. 10, with multi-team events (MTEs) like the Myrtle Beach Invitational, Charleston Classic and Empire Classic being forced to reschedule.
One of the key factors in pushing back the season start date is to provide an opportunity for players to participate in games after final exams. According to NCAA Sr. VP Dan Gavitt, 76 percent of all Division-I schools will either have their fall semesters completed and/or the students away from campus by that date.
Eli Boettger is a college basketball writer and founder of HeatCheckCBB.com. He has previously worked for Sporting News, DAZN and USA TODAY SMG.
Boettger’s content has been featured by Bleacher Report, NBC Sports, FiveThirtyEight, Yahoo Sports, Athletic Director University, Washington Post, Illinois Law Review and Notre Dame Law Review, among other publications. Boettger is also a current USBWA member and Rockin’ 25 voter.