William & Mary men's and women's basketball conference schedules released

RICHMOND, Va. (TribeAthletics.com) – The Colonial Athletic Association announced its men's and women's basketball conference schedules for the 2020‐21 season. The schedules will once again include 18 games, but the format has been adjusted to limit travel and help ensure the health and safety of student‐athletes, coaches and staff.

In lieu of a traditional, home‐and‐home round robin schedule, teams will play against the same opponent at the same site on consecutive days, primarily Saturdays and Sundays. The only exception will come when teams face their designated travel partner. On those weekends, each team will play once at home and once on the road, with flexibility given to create a day off in between contests.

The schedules mirror one another, with the men's and women's teams each facing the same opponent at opposite venues. The CAA basketball regular season will tip off on Friday, Jan. 1, and will conclude on Sunday, Feb. 28. Games impacted by the COVID‐19 pandemic could be made up at various alternate dates.

William & Mary basketball opens the season against Hofstra on Jan. 2-3. Head coach Dane Fischer and the men head to Hempstead, N.Y., on Saturday and Sunday, while head coach Ed Swanson and the women's team welcome the Pride to Kaplan Arena on the same two days.

"Today's announcement is the first step in the planning process associated with conducting a men's and women's basketball season during the 2020‐21 academic year," CAA Commissioner Joe D'Antonio said. "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. 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."

A tie‐breaking format and broadcast schedule will be announced in the next several weeks.

The NCAA recently announced that Wednesday, Nov. 25, will serve as the first date of competition for the basketball season. Both the Tribe men's and women's basketball nonconference schedules will be released at a later date.