Report: Pac-12 basketball may return in 2020

BOULDER — The Pac-12 announced earlier this month that all athletic competitions will be postponed until Jan. 1, 2021 at the earliest.

But that decision may not be as definitive as it seemed to be.

According to Jon Wilner of The Mercury News, the Pac-12 will consider starting the upcoming basketball season in 2020 “if favorable circumstances unfold inside NCAA headquarters and on the campuses.”

The conference has been criticized for postponing the basketball season months before the first game was due to be played. Colorado head coach Tad Boyle told reporters that he was shocked and disappointed by the decision. Colorado center Dallas Walton shared similar sentiments.

If the Pac-12 upholds its decision to delay the start of the basketball season, it’s unknown what the new schedule would look like. Typically teams begin conference play right at the start of the new year, so it would be easy to nix non-conference play and leave the schedule as-is.

But the Buffs have a particularly enticing non-conference schedule that includes a home game against Kansas, so finding a way to play a full season would—of course—be ideal.

There’s no guarantee that the Pac-12 will start the basketball season before 2021 but Wilner’s report is a good sign at the very least.