The college basketball season has included a maximum allowance of 31 games for nearly 20 years. Per CBS Sports' Matt Norlander, that number officially increased by one to 32 with a Wednesday vote by the NCAA Division I Council.
Oversight committees for men's and women's basketball voted in support of the change this past March. The 32-game limit takes effect for the 2026-27 season. Schools will not have to partake in that many contests.
Under Nate Oats, Alabama has developed a penchant for scheduling a larger number of marquee out-of-conference games. This year, for example, the team has a road game against Rick Pitino and St. John's on the docket, as well as a home date with Purdue. Last season, Alabama played at North Carolina and won in the ACC-SEC Challenge.
An extra allowable game permits teams to explore adding opponents of that caliber to their schedules. Norlander's reporting indicated that logistics surrounding early-season events, such as the Maui Invitational or Players Era Festival, were preeminent factors behind this change.
Over the last several years, particularly during the past two seasons, Crimson Tide fans have lamented the fact that the team has not played many of its larger nonconference tests within home confines at Coleman Coliseum. One more game, should the program implement it, provides an avenue for that to be addressed.
According to Norlander, all games fall under the new umbrella, meaning non-Division I teams factor in as well. He added that multiple Power Four coaches want to play nonconference games during league play (similarly to the old SEC-Big 12 challenge) in the future.
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