White & Blue Review has learned that the Jays will once again hold a preseason scrimmage against the Colorado Buffaloes, as they did a year ago in Boulder. This year’s closed-door scrimmage will be in Omaha.
Closed-door scrimmages have gained in popularity, with lots of D1 schools opting to hold one in place of a formal exhibition in recent years. Officially called “Informal practice scrimmages” by the NCAA, schools are barred from keeping score and no one but athletic department staff are allowed to watch. Some coaches prefer them because the competition against a D1 opponent is a better test than the usual DII/DIII exhibition fare, but the trend drives fans nuts since they’re hard-pressed to find out so much as a final score.
Unofficial reports on the scrimmages generally leak out, but just as with Creighton’s informal practice scrimmages against Iowa State and Colorado in years past, fans hoping for detailed box scores or play-by-play will have no such luck. Here’s the exact NCAA bylaw regulating these things, for those of you curious:
The practice scrimmage and its restrictions as defined as defined and outlined by the NCAA are as follows: Practice Scrimmage. An informal practice scrimmage with outside competition, provided it is on conducted in privacy without official scoring. Individuals other than athletics department staff members and those necessary to conduct basketball practice scrimmage against outside competition may not be present during such a scrimmage. The institution shall ensure that the scrimmage is free from public view. In women’s basketball, an institution may play two practice scrimmages during an year it does not use either of the exemptions set forth in Bylaw 17.5.5.3.1-(fg) or 17.5.5.3.1-(gh) or may play one practice scrimmage and either one exhibition contest against a foreign team in the United States or one exhibition contest against a “club” member of USA Basketball. In men’s basketball, an institution may play two practice scrimmages during any year it does not use the exemption set forth in Bylaw 17.5.5.3.1-(hi), or may play one practice scrimmage and one exhibition contest against a non-NCAA Division I four-year collegiate institution.
Colorado has been a program on the rise the last few years, but loses their four top scorers from a year ago — including Alec Burks who was drafted 12th in the NBA Draft this summer. It’ll be a struggle for second-year coach Tad Boyle in their first go-round in the PAC12, but it should still be a great exhibition, albeit behind closed doors, for the Jays.