In recent weeks, the spotlight in the college sports world has been on the management (or lack thereof) of the college football season in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NCAA and major conferences wasted the bulk of the summer by not coming up with a suitable return plan for college athletes, and now, with two of the Power Five conferences already moving to conference-only schedules and the rest likely to follow, the entire idea of having a college football season in the fall seems to be hanging by a thread.
It seems a near certainty that the season will be at the very least delayed until late fall/early winter, the implications of which would be devastating for the sport at large.
But lost in these conversations over what could have been in regards to football is a nagging question — what will happen with college basketball?
Surely, the NCAA will do whatever is possible to avoid making any substantive changes to the season considering the entire postseason was canceled last season. Allowing the virus to significantly affect two seasons in a row is a worst-case scenario.
But if the college football season — along with other fall sports — are canceled or postponed, where would that leave college basketball?
In making these plans, many of the limitations and stipulations that affect college football’s return also apply. Players are still unpaid, and forcing them into a position of risk is a bit different from when the NBA does it to its millionaire athletes. You still have to deal with the fact that it’s inconceivable to try and replicate a bubble-type environment; travel and the freedom of movement for student-athletes (who will still be taking classes as students, and at least at UF, could be taking them in-person) will be necessities.
But there are also a number of reasons why basketball doesn’t have to suffer the same fate football inevitably will. Smaller rosters mean you only have to worry about keeping conditions safe for 12-15 people (plus support staff), as opposed to the 100+ required for football. The schedule would be easier to adjust if necessary since nonconference basketball games aren’t tied with seven-figure contracts like in football, and playing games without fans wouldn’t be as financially catastrophic as it would be for football, where schools in conferences that don’t have lucrative TV deals often need revenue from ticket sales to subsidize their entire athletics departments.
Not to mention the fact that the season isn’t set to start until November, putting several more months between the current state of the pandemic in the United States and the season’s commencement.
But there are no guarantees. The Ivy and Patriot Leagues have already canceled sports through the fall, meaning that if the basketball season were to happen in those Division I conferences, it would at the very least be delayed. It’s very possible the beginning of the season is pushed until December or January and nonconference games are eliminated entirely or severely reduced. There’s also the conflicts basketball season could have with a potential spring football season to keep in mind.
There is reason to be more optimistic that the college basketball season will happen on time than the college football season, to be sure. But if that’s going to happen, the NCAA can’t waste the next three months and repeat the mistake it made with football.
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