NCAA Division II schedules shortened for 2020-21 school year

Complete List of Changes for the 2020-21 Academic School Year: https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/championships/resources/d2/D2CH_SponsorshipMaximumandMinimumContestRequirements.pdf

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The NCAA Division II President’s Council announced Tuesday adjustments to the maximum number of contests allowed for all sports in the 2020-21 academic school year. 

The reasoning for the changes are due to financial impacts from COVID-19.

Some of the notable changes for the upcoming school year include the number of football games allowed changing from 11 to 10, while basketball schedules can only have up to 22 games for the 2020-21 season.

“NCAA Division II conferences and institutions have acknowledged through survey feedback on contests reductions that COVID-19 has presented us with financial challenges that we are proactively addressing together,” the Presidents Council said in the press release. “In that spirit, and as a result of the governance structure’s decision to reduce contest maximums, thus affecting current schedules, we strongly encourage all member institutions and conferences to work cooperatively and collegially when adjusting schedules. Please keep in mind the purpose behind these actions is to assist all institutions with short-term financial concerns so that we may emerge stronger as a membership and division.”

The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) is a fourteen-school athletic conference headquartered in Kansas City, Mo. and is the conference where all Division II schools in the state of Kansas play under. Those schools include Emporia State, Fort Hays State, Newman, Pittsburg State, and Washburn.

“I applaud the NCAA for this quick action to help schools address the disruption and budget shortfalls occurring in higher education,” MIAA commissioner Mike Racy said. “As state tax revenues continue to decline, and state expenses continue to increase, and higher education appropriations in each state continue to shrink, these NCAA reductions in every Division II sport will assist MIAA athletics departments as they make adjustments to their 2020-21 budgets.”