South Atlantic Conference locks in plan to start basketball seasons on time
The South Atlantic Conference has announced it will go ahead with a winter sports schedule, including men’s and women’s basketball starting the weekend before Thanksgiving.
The conference, with NCAA Division II membership in the Carolinas and Tennessee, had scrubbed all autumn athletic competition due to COVID-19 concerns.
The SAC Presidents Council said basketball teams can begin practice Oct. 22 and play their first games Nov. 21. The start date of other winter sports — indoor track and field, swimming and diving and wrestling — will be left up to each institution.
“While we realize we are not out of the woods completely, the pandemic situation has improved, and we feel confident in our abilities to allow our student-athletes to compete in a safe environment,” said Newberry College President Maurice Scherrens, chair of the SAC Presidents Council.
SAC basketball teams will play 20-game conference schedules, with up to two nonconference games.
“Starting basketball will be a good opportunity for us as a league to test our protocols and procedures, to make sure we are fully prepared for fall, winter and spring sports to be played during the 2021 spring semester,” Scherrens said.
The SAC last month postponed autumn sports to the spring, although no dates have been announced for the start and finish of those seasons.
The other Division II conferences with Carolinas teams — the CIAA and Conference Carolinas — also postponed fall sports to the spring. Those leagues have not made announcements about winter sports seasons. In addition, the NCAA postponed Division II autumn sports championships to next spring.
“Our schools have been able to conduct in-person classes and practice activities this fall, and while there have been some positive cases and other issues, they have been able to manage them effectively,” said SAC Commissioner Patrick Britz.
Conference officials said they will await information from local officials before deciding if fans will be permitted at games.
SAC members are Queens University of Charlotte, Catawba, Lenoir-Rhyne, Mars Hill and Wingate in North Carolina; Anderson, Coker, Limestone and Newberry in South Carolina; and Carson-Newman, Lincoln Memorial and Tusculum in Tennessee.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
This story was originally published September 21, 2020 at 2:38 PM with the headline "South Atlantic Conference locks in plan to start basketball seasons on time."