For the first time in 13 years, Kansas University’s men’s basketball team will not play an in-state Division Two team during the regular season.
Instead, the Jayhawks — responding to Thursday’s NCAA ruling that prohibits colleges from playing exhibitions against noncollegiate opponents like EA Sports and Marathon Oil — will schedule two in-state Division Two teams during the 2004-05 preseason.
“What we’ll do,” KU senior associate athletic director Larry Keating said, “is, we’ll continue to rotate the four (in-state) schools — the men will play two each year and the women will play the other two.”
For instance, in November, KU’s men will play Emporia State and Washburn in exhibition outings, while the KU women will play Pittsburg State and Fort Hays State. In 2005-06, the men will play Pitt State and FHSU and the women ESU and Washburn.
“It helps their budgets,” Keating said of the in-state schools, who have used paydays of $25,000 or more to finance huge chunks of their athletic programs.
Not only will this ruling help Division Two schools land more exhibition games, but it now prevents some Division One schools gaining a possible advantage in recruiting by playing exhibition games against AAU teams that could include prospective college players.
“It was becoming such that some of the club-type teams were putting pressure on college coaches to play those games,” Keating said. “This is probably welcomed by the coaches. Most of the club teams were pretty good. A lot of times they were not organized well.”
KU coach Bill Self is in favor of the NCAA Board of Directors ruling.
“I am all for playing exhibition games against four-year institutions,” Self said. “I think this is a great exhibition game. From their perspective, they (in-state Division Two schools) would rather play them as exhibition games rather than regular season, too, because they don’t count on your won-loss record.”
“We are talking about it,” Keating said, responding to rumors CBS wants such a matchup.
He added there were no concrete details about such a series.
“I like them both. It’s what makes it tough. I’m still deciding. Nothing is concluded,” said Niang, who was released from his KU scholarship several weeks ago over playing-time concerns.
Niang said there still was a chance he could remain at KU. Playing time may be available now that David Padgett has elected to transfer.
“There could be a way,” Niang said. “I have to talk to coach.”
Self has been on the road recruiting all week, including Friday’s trip to Anchorage to visit with Mario Chalmers, a 6-1 point guard considering KU, Arizona, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Marquette and North Carolina.
