The 2020-21 season for men’s and women’s basketball can start Nov. 25 after the Division 1 Council approved Wednesday.

No exhibition games or scrimmages are allowed to be played before that date. With the original start date being Nov. 10, NCAA Division 1 Men’s and Women’s Oversight Committee took some precautions with the start of the season due to COVID-19.

With most schools’ fall semesters ending in December and not returning until the middle of January, the Committee suggested that the season starts Nov. 25, so that the interaction between players, coaches, and fans are minimal.

Full team practices can begin Oct. 14, with a maximum of 30 practices being permitted over the 40 days before the start of the season. With the season on and games set to begin within the next few months, Norfolk State can look forward to the upcoming season, after their previous season ended so abruptly.

The men’s basketball team who were third in the MEAC standing last year with a record of 16-15, 12-4 in conference play, look to improve next year after not being able to compete in the last year’s MEAC Tournament because of COVID-19.

The women’s basketball team is coming off a season where they were seeded 2nd in the MEAC and finished with a record of 19-11, 12-4 in conference play, which is the best conference record by percentage they have ever had in the MEAC.

Robert Jones and Larry Vickers hope to bring their teams to winning seasons, where they hope of finishing what they couldn’t last year: winning the MEAC Tournament.