• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, September 17, 2025

The Problems With The NCAA’s Summer Basketball Proposal

  • The NCAA is considering allowing teams to play exhibition games in the summer.
  • But some at Big East media day shared concerns about logistics and an undue burden.
Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The NCAA’s main goal is amateurism — the idea that players aren’t professionals. But the governing body is discussing a proposal that would make basketball players look more like their pro counterparts than ever. 

The governing body is considering allowing both men’s and women’s teams to play summer exhibition games, creating a calendar that spans all four seasons.

Earlier this week, NCAA SVP of Basketball Dan Gavitt told SBJ that preliminary feedback was “mostly favorable.” But the idea is more controversial than he let on — at Big East media day on Tuesday, Commissioner Val Ackerman told Front Office Sports that after further consideration, the conference is “split” on the idea.

“There are some who think it would be good if college basketball could sort of get its due in the offseason, and so that’s laudable,” Ackerman said. “In many cases, the players are on campus anyway…maybe a few games interspersed with the practices wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”

But she noted athletic directors are likely “torn” — concerned about the cost of putting on games, the impact on athletes, and even the toll on staff who often use summer months for vacations.

Big East Weighs In On NCAA Basketball Tournament Expansion

From TV schedules to revenue, the concept is controversial.
October 18, 2022

“Summer is supposed to be the time of year when these kids get a break — a physical break, a mental break, catch up on schoolwork, cause that is part of the drill here,” Ackerman said. “That would be lost or diminished.”

Multiple coaches shared these concerns. “I’m not a fan of it,” Marquette’s Shaka Smart said, citing a fear of potential “collateral damage” for athletes. 

Smart thinks his players are already stretched too thin. Even Gavitt’s observation that summer games could help athletes with their NIL platform wouldn’t be worth it.

There’s another potential hiccup: Some teams already have summer plans. Georgetown players, for example, participate in the NCAA-sanctioned Kenner League, coach Patrick Ewing noted. “I’m not really sure which way I would lean, but I think it would be tough,” he said.

As was the case with the NCAA bracket expansion proposal, Ackerman has not received a specific model — so everything from travel parameters to number of games is still up in the air. 

“Intriguing is my word,” Ackerman said. But “far from settled.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

CFB TV Ratings Stay Hot As Georgia-Tennessee Sets ABC High of 12.6M

ABC has had four games that have topped 10 million viewers this season.

College Football’s Costly Start for Virginia Tech, UCLA: Coaches Out

UCLA and Virginia Tech fire their coaches while Notre Dame slumps badly.
exclusive

Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman, Rob Dauster to Lead On3’s College Hoops..

Goodman previously worked for ESPN, CBS Sports, and Stadium.
Mar 4, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks with Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., ahead of President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025.

House Republicans Delay SCORE Act Vote Tentatively Planned for Next Week

They didn’t believe they had enough votes to pass the bill.

Featured Today

Premier Lacrosse League

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
September 13, 2025

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 13, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back AK Dear (0) tries to outrun Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Ricardo Hallman (2) during the second half at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Despite Vote Delay, SCORE Act Negotiations Continue on Capitol Hill

Political ad campaigns during college football Saturdays continue as well.
Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) looks to pass during the first quarter against the New Mexico Lobos at Rose Bowl.
September 15, 2025

UCLA-Tennessee QB Trade Has Been Painful So Far

Iamaleava abruptly left Tennessee for UCLA this past offseason.
Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; New Mexico Lobos quarterback Jack Layne (2) reacts after his team scored a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl.
September 15, 2025

UCLA Paid New Mexico $1.2 Million for Friday’s Loss: Payout Game Tracker

The Bruins weren’t the only Power-4 school to lose a buy game and fire their coach.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
Jan 25, 2023; Langley, British Columbia, CAN; Highlights from the CHL Kubota Top Prospects game at the Langley Events Centre
September 10, 2025

NCAA Hockey Scouts Denied Passes for Crucial Recruiting League

The CHL won’t welcome scouts on passes: “It comes across as petty.”
Feb 17, 2024; Boise, Idaho, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs guard Jalen Weaver (5) during the first half against the Boise State Broncos at ExtraMile Arena.
September 10, 2025

NCAA Bans 3 Basketball Players for Violating Betting Rules Last Season

The former San Jose State and Fresno State players have lost eligibility.
NFL Congress
exclusive
September 10, 2025

College Sports ‘House of Cards’: Republicans, Lobbyists Work to Secure Votes to..

Several House Republicans criticized the SCORE Act on social media.
The cover of the College Football 25 video game.
exclusive
September 9, 2025

Group That Facilitated NIL Deal for Football Video Game Now Says It’s..

EA offered $1,500 and no royalties; it also deleted an opt-out clause.