The Ivy League was the first collegiate basketball conference to make a significant move when the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread in the U.S. by canceling its conference tournament.
Now, according to Forbes, it may be the first conference to call off basketball for the 2020-21 season. In fact, the league has already pledged not to begin winter sports until at least Jan. 1, despite the Division I season tipping off Nov. 25.
Forbes reports that Harvard is leaning toward not taking the court at all this season, and other schools may follow suit.
“There is zero chance Harvard is playing this year,” a source told Forbes.
ESPN reports that a number of Ivy League players have entered the transfer portal, including three Harvard players as well as Yale’s Paul Atkinson, who was a co-player of the year last season. The trend, some expect, could be evidence of uncertainty among players who wish to compete yet this season.
League sources have said the fate of the basketball season could be determined by how many teams opt to try to compete.
“It’s a matter of the league having enough teams,” a source told Forbes. “We’ll have a semblance of a league. I have heard Harvard is out. I think if we can have five teams play, that’s what we’ll do.”
A formal announcement is expected sometime in November or December.
