The NCAA Tournament is one of the most exciting sports events of the season. The tension offered by the games is second to none. The most recent news about the Tournament was that it was staying at 68 teams and not expanding yet. The most recent news is that the Tournament will require all participating teams to provide injury reports before each game tips off.
NBC Sports college basketball insider Nicole Auerbach reported that the NCAA had approved making availability reports public for every game. Teams must submit the reports the night before and two hours before game time to ensure accuracy.
The new policy will be in effect for the men's and women's versions of March Madness starting in 2026. The NCAA said in a press release that publishing availability reports is an attempt to further protect athletes from sports betting influences. Due to the amount of money wagered on the events, the reports could help decrease pressure and harassment toward athletes regarding their status for games in March Madness.
The NCAA said schools will receive penalties if they do not comply or accurately report players’ availability. The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball committees will determine those punishments.
“After months of thorough discussion and exploration, I applaud the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Committees for taking such important action,” said NCAA president Charlie Baker. “Implementing player availability reporting is a major step to increasing student-athlete protections by alleviating pressures to enhance their college experience.”
The NCAA has been more vocal about opposing sports betting than the other sports leagues. Baker has been vocal about his desire to ban prop betting on college games.
It is also worth noting that the NCAA announced all three divisions approved legislation to allow athletes to wager on pro sports starting Nov. 1, but it announced a delay. Instead, the date it was moved to was Nov. 22.
That delay might be due to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey's statement that this new guidance was a “major step in the wrong direction.”
College athletes are already dealing with a lot of change, but the addition of sports betting seemed to alarm many people.
