On Friday afternoon, the Missouri Valley Conference announced a shift in the league’s men’s and women’s basketball schedules in order to limit travel due to COVID-19.
Rather than playing opponents once at home and once on the road, teams will now square off in two-game series on back-to-back days at the same site. Each team will play four road series and four home series, and split a home-and-home series with its “travel partner.”
The conference had previously unveiled a similarly formatted schedule for Volleyball in the spring. The decision comes amidst a region-wide surge in COVID-19 cases.
“The new format significantly reduces travel and places an emphasis on the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches and staff,” the conference said in a statement.
League play, originally scheduled to begin on Dec. 31, will still begin after Christmas. A new schedule will be released in December, according to the conference.
