A change is coming to the construction of regular-season schedules in men’s and women’s college basketball.
On Wednesday, June 25, the NCAA Division I Council approved a rule allowing schools to play a maximum of 32 games before the postseason starting with the 2026-27 season. Teams are currently allowed a maximum of 31 regular-season games.
Though the 32-game model was approved, the NCAA’s news release on June 25 noted teams can play fewer games. The change also ‘does not limit the opportunity for multiple team events to operate or exist,’ the release said.
The adoption of the 32-game regular-season model is the first change to the regular season schedule format in college basketball since the 2006-07 season.
Under the current structure, teams were able to schedule 28 or 29 regular-season games with either an additional two-game or three-game multiple-team event for a maximum of 31 games. Teams also had the option of scheduling 29 regular-season games without a multiple-team event part of their schedule.
‘The opportunity very much exists for teams to continue to play in multiple-team or bracketed events to prepare them for postseason play.’
The NCAA noted that oversight committees determined that the rule change provided greater scheduling flexibility for Division I programs. Teams can now play an additional game at a multi-team event or schedule a late-season marquee non-conference game — perhaps at a neutral site — to help boost their NET ranking and Quad 1 record for the NCAA Tournament.
In a time of college basketball (and college athletics) where more neutral-site non-conference games are taking place and the first NIL-driven multi-team event, The Players’ Era Festival, is now up to 18 teams, the allowance of having that additional regular-season game can be financially beneficial for teams and players.
The 32-game regular season schedule adoption comes a month after the NCAA’s Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved changes to the pace and flow of the game in men’s basketball. These adoptions included a coach’s challenge at any point in a game to review out-of-bounds calls, basket interference/goaltending and whether a secondary defender was in the restricted-area arc.
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