The NCAA detailed on Wednesday its player availability reporting requirements for March Madness as well as the punishments that await programs that fall short.
Key Takeaways
- March Madness will serve as a pilot test for availability reporting in college basketball.
- Reports were required during the college football season.
- The steepest penalty includes a $30,000 fine for the program and $10,000 for the head coach.
Player availability reports, also known as injury reports, were implemented for several reasons, all related to sports betting. Their primary focus is to reduce betting-related pressures and harassment directed at student-athletes and other team personnel from bettors seeking information about playing status.
Teams must submit initial reports to the NCAA by 9 p.m., in the host venue's time zone, the night before the game. Updates must be added no later than two hours before the scheduled tip time.
Student-athletes may be listed as available (greater than a 75% chance to play), questionable (up to 75%), or out. Players will be assumed to be available if they are not designated “questionable” or “out.”
The NCAA Tournament will serve as a test run for availability reports, which were also required by several conferences during football season and for participating teams in the College Football Playoff.
The effectiveness of the reporting will then be reviewed before the NCAA decides whether to implement it in future competitions.
Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account“After months of thorough discussion and exploration, I applaud the Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Committees for taking such important action,” NCAA president Charlie Baker said when the initiative was announced in October. “Implementing player availability reporting is a major step to increasing student-athlete protections by alleviating pressures for the enhancement of their college experience.”
Punishments revealed
Reports will be released for every game in the 68-team bracket, which will be revealed on Selection Sunday on March 15. That includes the First Four, which includes four play-in games for teams trying to qualify for the Round of 64.
The NCAA wants the process to be as simple and streamlined as possible. It said video training was offered in February, and a list of FAQs will be made available.
Failing to adhere to the NCAA’s reporting requirements will result in escalating penalties. A first offense will cost the program $10,000; a second will cost $25,000; a third and any ensuing violations will run the institution $30,000 and the head coach $10,000. All fines will be issued after March Madness is finished.
Analytics company HD Intelligence will take charge of handling availability reporting for both the Men’s and Women’s March Madness competitions. According to an NCAA announcement, several conferences already use their services for competitions between member schools.
NCAA fighting sports betting perils
Availability reports will be part of the “largest integrity monitoring service program in the world.”
The NCAA is intimately familiar with the dangers of sports betting. President Charlie Baker has actively campaigned against college player prop bets, which he believes can entice student-athletes to compromise their integrity for financial gain.
The governing body as a whole has dealt with various betting scandals. Federal prosecutors recently indicted 20 people on charges related to match-fixing in college basketball and in professional games in China, during which NCAA players made $10,000 - $30,000 per fixed game.
