NCAA looks to September for decision on basketball tipoff

INDIANAPOLIS - The NCAA will likely decide next month whether to start the college basketball season on time or have a delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.

NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt said Monday that mid-September will likely be the first of many decisions about the 2020-21 season. Gavitt said the NCAA has developed and studied contingency plans in case the season cannot be started on Nov. 10.

Four conferences, including the Big Ten and Pac-12, have postponed fall sports and hope to play in the spring. Six leagues, including the Big 12, ACC and SEC, are moving forward with plans to play in the fall.

The Pac-12 has said its postponement includes basketball, but other conferences have not mentioned plans for hoops.

Students at colleges across the country have started returning to campuses in recent weeks, leading to new COVID-19 clusters, and numerous football programs have been hit by positive tests.