The Colonial Athletic Association released its men’s and women’s basketball schedules for the 2020-21 season using a format designed to limit travel and exposure to COVID-19.
The schedules will run from Jan. 1 through Feb. 28 and include 18 games. Instead of traditional home-and-home contests, it will feature teams playing the same opponent on back-to-back days at the same site, primarily on Saturdays and Sundays.
The men’s and women’s schedules mirror each other, with the men’s game at one location and the women’s games at the opposite site, the league said in a release Wednesday.
The lone exception to the back-to-back games at the same site format will come when schools designated as travel partners play games on each’s home floor one weekend.
“There are a number of protocols and challenges that still need to be met to make sure that games can be conducted in a safe environment for our student-athletes, coaches and staff members,” CAA Commissioner Joe D’Antonio said in the statement.
“Health and safety remain at the forefront of every decision we are making, and we are excited about the possibility of having our student-athletes back on the court.”
Games postponed because of COVID-19 concerns can be made up on alternate dates, the league said, and a tiebreaker and broadcast schedule will be released soon.
The NCAA has established Nov. 25 as the first date of basketball competition.
