2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The following rule changes have been recommended by the NCAA Basketball Rules Committee to the Playing Rules Oversight Panel for the 2021-2022 season:[1]

• Flopping can result in a technical foul.
• Increase to six personal fouls before disqualification, with a maximum of four fouls allowed per half (experimental in NIT for 2022). If a player commits four personal fouls in a single half they will be disqualified for the remainder of the game.
• Allowance at the league level for coaches to use technology, live statistics and video on the bench.
• Team timeouts can serve as/replace media timeouts (e.g., team calls timeout at the 18-minute mark in a half, that would be used as the under-16-minute media timeout).
• Shot clocks will now be able to display tenths of a second, similar to the NBA.

Two of the most significant developments that will impact the 2021–22 season took place before the end of the 2020–21 school year, with one occurring before the start of the 2020–21 basketball season.

• On October 14, 2020, the NCAA announced that all student-athletes in winter sports during the 2020–21 school year, including men's and women's basketball, would receive an extra year of athletic eligibility.[2]
• On April 15, 2021, the NCAA Division I Council adopted legislation that extended the so-called "one-time transfer exception" to all D-I sports, with the Division I Board of Directors ratifying this on April 28. This allows student-athletes in baseball, men's and women's basketball, football, and men's ice hockey to transfer one time without having to sit out a year, placing them under the same transfer regulations that previously applied to all other D-I sports.[3][4]

Other news:

• May 6 – The University of Hartford's governing board voted to begin the process of transitioning the school's athletic program from Division I to NCAA Division III. The plan calls for the following steps:[5][6]
  • January 2022: Formal request for reclassification with the NCAA.
  • 2022–23: No athletic scholarships will be awarded to incoming students.
  • 2023–24: Become a provisional member in a D-III conference to be determined; transition remaining students off athletic scholarships by the end of that school year.
  • 2024–25: Become a full member of the aforementioned D-III conference.
  • 2025–26: Full D-III membership.
• May 18 – The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky released an indictment of former Louisville assistant Dino Gaudio for attempted extortion. The indictment accused Gaudio, whose contract with Louisville was not renewed after the 2020–21 season, of threatening to report NCAA rules violations in the Louisville program to media unless he received an additional 17 months of salary.[7] Gaudio would plead guilty on June 4[8] and was sentenced to a year of probation and a $10,000 fine on August 27.[9] In fallout from the case, Louisville suspended head coach Chris Mack without pay for the first 6 games of the 2021–22 season. The university concluded that he failed to follow its guidelines and procedures in relation to the incident.[10]
• July 30 – Oklahoma and Texas formally accepted invitations to join the Southeastern Conference following the 2024–25 season.[11][12][13][14]
• September 3 – Multiple media outlets reported that the Big 12 was on the verge of inviting four schools—American Athletic Conference members Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF, plus BYU, a West Coast Conference member and an FBS independent in football. All four schools were reportedly preparing membership applications, and their future entrance could be approved as early as the next scheduled meeting of Big 12 presidents on September 10. The entry timeline was uncertain at the time of the report, but would most likely be in 2024,[15][16] and on September 10 the four schools were officially announced as incoming Big 12 members no later than 2024–25.[17]
• October 21 – Six Conference USA members were announced as incoming members of The American Athletic Conference at a future date – Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA.[18][19][20]
• October 22 – The Action Network reported that C-USA member Southern Miss had accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference in 2023, though no formal announcement had then been made. The report added that the Sun Belt was preparing to add two other C-USA members, Marshall and Old Dominion, as well Colonial Athletic Association member James Madison. At the time, some formal announcements of new members were expected on October 25, but a Marshall announcement was likely to wait until after announcing its new president on October 28. The report also indicated that the Sun Belt would expel its two full non-football members, Little Rock and UT Arlington, after the 2022–23 season.[21]
• October 25 – The Associated Press preseason All-American team was released. Gonzaga forward Drew Timme was the lone unanimous selection (63 votes). Joining him on the team were Illinois center Kofi Cockburn, UCLA guard Johnny Juzang, Villanova guard Collin Gillespie, and Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis.[22]
• October 26 – Southern Miss was officially announced as a Sun Belt member, effective no later than July 2023.[23] In other Sun Belt realignment news, it was reported that Old Dominion's arrival would be announced later that week, and that James Madison's board had scheduled an emergency meeting on October 29 (presumably to discuss a Sun Belt invitation).[24]
• October 27 – Old Dominion was officially announced as a Sun Belt member, also effective no later than July 2023. This marked ODU's return to that conference after an absence of more than 30 years.[25]
• October 30 – The day after both the Sun Belt Conference and Marshall issued tweets indicating that the Thundering Herd had accepted a Sun Belt invitation,[26] this move was officially announced.[27]
• November 5 – Conference USA, which had nine of its schools depart to other conferences, announced that ASUN Conference members Jacksonville State and Liberty and Western Athletic Conference members New Mexico State and Sam Houston would join C-USA no later than July 2023.[28]
• November 6 – James Madison made their move to the Sun Belt official, effective no later than July 2023.[29]
• November 12
  • The WAC announced that Incarnate Word would join from the Southland Conference in July 2022.[30]
  • The Utah State Legislature passed a bill to change the name of Dixie State University to Utah Tech University, effective in the 2022–23 school year. The nickname of Trailblazers will not be affected.[31]
• November 16
  • The Atlantic 10 Conference announced that Loyola Chicago would join from the Missouri Valley Conference after the 2021–22 season.[32]
  • CBS Sports reported that the MVC had entered into talks with three schools regarding future membership—Summit League member Kansas City, Ohio Valley Conference member Murray State, and non-football Sun Belt member UT Arlington. The report indicated that the latter two schools were seen as the strongest candidates, but all three were likely to receive invitations in the coming months.[33]
• December 9 – The other Sun Belt member without a football program, Little Rock, announced that it would join the Ohio Valley Conference on July 1, 2022.[34]

Eleven schools joined new conferences, including a school transitioning from Division III.

The 2021–22 season will be the last for seven Division I schools in their current conferences. One NCAA Division II school will start its transition to D-I after the season.

• Austin Peay will move from the OVC to the ASUN.[39]
• Belmont will leave the OVC for the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC).[40]
• Chicago State will leave the WAC;[41] it has yet to announce a new conference home.
• Incarnate Word will leave the Southland Conference for the WAC.[30]
• Little Rock will leave the Sun Belt Conference for the OVC.[34]
• Loyola Chicago will leave the MVC for the Atlantic 10 Conference.[32]
• Southern Utah will leave the Big Sky Conference for the WAC.[42]
• Texas A&M–Commerce will leave the D-II Lone Star Conference for the Southland Conference.[43]

The top 25 from the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls.

Rankings reflect the AP Poll Top 25.

• Nov 9
  • No. 9 Duke defeated No. 10 Kentucky, 79–71 (Champions Classic, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY)
• Nov 12
  • No. 2 UCLA defeated No. 4 Villanova, 86–77 OT (Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA)
• Nov 13
  • No. 1 Gonzaga defeated No. 5 Texas, 86–74 (McCarthey Athletic Center Spokane, WA)
• Nov 21
  • No. 6 Purdue defeated No. 5 Villanova 80–74 (Hall of Fame Tip Off, Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT)
• Nov 23
  • No. 1 Gonzaga defeated No. 2 UCLA, 83–63 (Empire Classic, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV)
• Nov 26
  • No. 5 Duke defeated No. 1 Gonzaga, 84–81 (Continental Tire Challenge, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV)
• Dec 12
  • No. 2 Baylor defeated No. 6 Villanova 57-36 (Ferrell Center, Waco, Texas)