Tag: Division I

As college basketball administrators around the country attempt to conjure a plan to save the 2020-21 hoops season, a report from CBS Sports laid out some of the obstacles facing potential nonconference games.

Only 17 of the 357 Division I programs has released a schedule for this season, but as of right now, the NCAA is reportedly planning on non-conference games happening, though a decision on the matter will likely be made midway through next month.

But with the Pac-12’s decision to postpone the start of the season until at least Jan. 1, the common belief within college basketball seems to be that if there’s a season, it won’t start on time.

The feelings on this are mixed.

For some this has been a blessing.

“Nonconference scheduling has been easier this year than ever before because there’s the belief it’s not going to stay in its current form,” one mid-major coach told CBS Sports.

It’s been dreadful for others.

“[Our] schedule isn’t complete and anyone who does have a complete schedule will probably soon find themselves back in the scheduling game,” a Big South coach said.

For Austin Peay’s Matt Figger, it’s been the most stressful offseason of his career. In a normal year, Austin Peay has four buy games. It has one as of today. The program brings in more than $250,000 annually in buy games, which amounts to more than 40% of the athletic department’s revenue.

“Scheduling has been an issue since the season ended,” he said. “We can’t get guarantee games. I’ve got one guarantee game against TCU right now. Nobody has them and if they did have them, they aren’t offering them to us, No. 1, and No. 2, they’re offering prices to play guarantees that they were giving back when I coached at South Alabama in 2002. I’m talking $20-30,000 to come play. It’s not financially feasible to do those things.”

The main concerns around nonconference play are reportedly two-fold. With the financial impact of the pandemic, pay-outs to mid-major teams will likely be lessened.

It appears as though the Power Five are calling the shots, with mid-major conferences financial viability likely hanging in the balance.

The money factor in this is gargantuan. It’s also been a story half-told to this point. Some coaches pointed out how much money their athletic departments have saved — millions of dollars — since March due to the cancellation of all sports activity. Schools have never seen such cost-cutting before, and it’s come at the expense of players’ college careers.

The market for games has also been affected. Buy games are down $15,000-$60,000 from typical rates. A 50% slash on payment from big school to small has been common, though the D1 Docket found through a Florida State records request that the Seminoles are slashing their $90,000 pay fee for opponents such as St. Peter’s and Charleston Southern down to $70,000 and $55,000, respectively.

“It is a buyer’s market,” Stephen F. Austin coach Kyle Keller said. “Usually you could hold out and wait and get a higher-priced game if you waited. Not this year. Games have gone for as small as $30,000 for teams that could bus on day-of travel now.”

The other major concern is testing — namely, the question of which schools will have the resources to do it properly. Many mid-major programs may not, and the fact that playing games against less wealthy out-of-conference programs could be riskier for Power Five players will almost certainly be a part of the calculus from conference administrators.

“Many nonconference opponents do not have resources to test and care for their players like [our league] would, so you have a higher risk against playing against an infected player,” one Big Ten coach told me. “Without fans, not much to gain with most nonconference matchups with the exception of ACC Challenge, Gavitt Games, (etc.).”

Though coaches are reportedly interested in large-scale changes to the scheduling format, such as delaying the season to Thanksgiving Week or later and playing nonconference games in pods, it remains to be seen if such an arrangement would be feasible.

For now, the NCAA will likely just monitor the situation as students return to campuses and wait until mid-September (if not later) to make any final decisions.

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