Can men's college basketball conferences release their schedules already?
Can men's college basketball conferences release their schedules already?
The season starts on Nov. 4. What's the wait for?
The men’s college basketball season tips off in 47 days. Would it kill the sport’s biggest conferences to release their league schedules?
The SEC is the only Power 4 conference that has done so, almost a month ago. The Big East did it as well … last week.
The ACC, Big Ten and Big 12? Nothing, nothing and nothing. The Atlantic 10, which got a wave of publicity Wednesday when St. Bonaventure hired Adrian Wojnarowski as its GM?
Nope.
We don’t need to re-hash all of the struggles of the sport right now. There was plenty of hysteria in the news cycle back in June when it looked like Dan Hurley — per Wojnarowski’s reporting — might leave back-to-back champion UConn for the Lakers.
He stayed, and college basketball is better for it.
But can the sport at least become a little more fan-friendly?
Realignment has complicated matters, for sure. There are more teams under one conference banner in far away places. There is TV relationship after TV relationship to properly manage.
And yet, that’s all the more reason to figure this thing out as soon as possible.
The Big Ten announced conference opponents for each school back on May 1. UCLA, for example, will host Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin for the first time as conference opponents.
Pauley Pavilion is a bucket-list venue for college hoops fans. The Buckeyes, Nittany Lions and Badgers will be making their first visits to the arena.
Think some diehards of any one of those programs would like to make the trip there? How many alums of those schools are living in that part of the country already, but worried that their school’s rare visit to Westwood might run up against a conflict in the always-happening L.A. area?
Did you see Indiana fans’ takeover of the Rose Bowl this past weekend for the Hoosiers’ game against UCLA? And that was for a football game featuring two basketball bluebloods.
The Big Ten announced that game date, along with that of every 2024 league game, last Nov. 2. While we could have a whole ‘nother conversation here about the problem of football scheduling announcements, that shortcoming pales in comparison to what hoopheads deal with.
On Tuesday, Tennessee found itself in the news for hiking 2025 ticket prices, including a 10 percent “talent fee” to increase funds for the players in light of the revenue-sharing era. There is a lot to unpack with that announcement, which drew plenty of understandable criticism. But there is also a simple reality with that news: The Vols have arguably the most passionate fan base in the country, their sports teams are collectively amid one of the most dominant stretches in school history, and, most importantly, they were transparent in their rollout of the fee.
They are giving their fans what they want, and their fans’ response will ultimately tell us whether or not this initiative was a success.
Will men’s college basketball learn this lesson with its fans the hard way?
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