MAC eliminates postseason tournments in eight sports

The Mid-American Conference is eliminating postseason tournaments in eight sports, including baseball and softball, and men's and women's basketball are among nine sports that will have postseasons scaled back.

The MAC's announced the cost-cutting move Tuesday in response to the financial crisis being brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Postseason tournaments also will be discontinued in field hockey, women's lacrosse, men's and women's tennis and men's and women's soccer. Champions in the 12-team conference will be determined by regular-season results in sports without postseason tournaments.

Men's and women's basketball tournaments will only include the top eight teams in the final regular-season standings. Regular-season basketball schedules will increase to 20 conference games and opening round, on-campus tournament games will be eliminated.

Volleyball, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field and men's and women's golf will also have postseasons with fewer participants.

• Pac-12 football coaches pitched an NCAA-mandated uniform start to the season Tuesday.

Washington coach Jimmy Lake said Tuesday in a video conference with reporters that he would prefer for all major college teams to begin six weeks of preparation for the season at the same time.

"In my opinion, I believe the NCAA should step in and say, 'OK, here's the date when everybody can start."'

Colorado coach Karl Dorrell and Utah's Kyle Whittingham backed Lake's idea.

For the season to start on time around Labor Day weekend, when Washington is scheduled to host Michigan, teams would need to begin six weeks of practice in mid-July.

• USA Gymnastics is scrapping the U.S. Classic and the national championships because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization had initially hoped to reschedule the events for later in 2020 after Tokyo Olympics were pushed back to the summer of 2021.

The Big Ten Conference has approved hardship waiver petitions for Iowa's Jordan Bohannon and Jack Nunge, giving each an extra year of eligibility.

• Purdue rising junior guard Nojel Eastern, who earlier this spring entered his name in the NBA draft, ha now put his name into the NCAA's transfer portal.

• Maryland signed forward Galin Smith, who appeared in 94 games over the past three seasons at Alabama. Smith had 20 starts with the Crimson Tide and shot 56% from the floor.