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Myron Medcalf, ESPN staff writer
A new proposal to start the women’s basketball season a few days before the men’s season could add to the growing spotlight on the women’s game.
The NCAA’s men’s and women’s basketball oversight committees proposed Monday to start the women’s basketball season 22 weeks before the women’s Final Four, two days before the men’s season begins, beginning with the 2025-26 campaign. With the women’s season opening on Monday and the men’s season on Wednesday, the women’s game will “increase marketing and promotional opportunities, contributing to the growth of the sport at the campus level,” according to the NCAA’s release Wednesday.
The change will help both sports avoid conflicts with Election Day and provide more flexibility for TV windows and space demands.
The start date and length of the practice season currently varies between 21 and 22 weeks for men’s and women’s basketball, both of which begin their season on the same day each year.
If the Division I Council approves the change in October, women’s basketball’s first game could be played on Nov. 3, 2025, and men’s basketball could begin on Nov. 5, 2025. Both sports will begin their seasons on November 11, 2025, under current guidelines.
The NCAA and ESPN recently agreed to an eight-year, $920 million extension to the media rights deal for 40 championships, a package that includes the women’s Final Four and the national championship game. The growth of women’s basketball — which has grown in recent years as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and others have become celebrities — is credited with playing a significant role in the huge increase (tripling the previous deal) in revenue the NCAA receives. The NCAA will receive $115 million per year under the new contract, with a total of $65 million tied to the women’s NCAA Tournament, NCAA President Charlie Baker told Front Office Sports this year.
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