SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announced on Friday morning that men’s and women’s basketball will begin their 2020-21 conference schedules on Dec. 29-30 and Dec. 31, respectively.
Vanderbilt men’s basketball, along with the other 13 SEC member institutions, will play 18 conference games with two open dates. 10 of the 14 SEC programs will fill one of the two open dates with the SEC/Big 12 Challenge in late January, and the four other SEC teams will play each other that day.
Vanderbilt women’s basketball will play 16 SEC games with two open dates.
The full schedules have not been released by the athletic department, but both programs can begin playing non-conference games as soon as Nov. 25. Men’s basketball programs can play up to 25 regular-season games with one additional multi-team event, and women’s basketball programs can play up to 23 regular-season games with one additional multi-team event, or 25 regular-season games without a multi-team event.
The NCAA also announced earlier this month that no exhibition games can be played before Nov. 25. In previous seasons, Vanderbilt men’s and women’s basketball played a scrimmage against a lower-division team before starting non-conference play.
Preseason practice can begin on Oct. 14 with up to 30 practices over a span of 42 days. Teams can conduct strength and conditioning and skill instruction up to 12 hours a week from Sept. 21 to Oct. 13. Vanderbilt men’s and women’s basketball appear to be on the court, according to photos posted on Twitter on Sept. 21.
