On May 2, 2024, the NCAA Basketball Rules Committee proposed a few rule changes for the 2024–25 season. These changes were approved on June 6 by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel.[1][2]
A one-game suspension has been added to the ejection of any player, coach, or bench personnel who "disrespectfully contacts an official or makes a threat of physical intimidation or harm, to include pushing, shoving, spitting or attempting to make physical contact with an official".
Officials will be able to review whether a player's foot last touching the court was inbounds on a made shot before time expired. If a player's foot is determined to be out of bounds, officials would put the exact time of the violation on the game clock. However, if the shot is made and time remains on the game clock, a video review would not occur.
Officials will now immediately conduct a replay review to judge whether a basket should count or not if an off-ball foul is called near the time a field goal or free-throw attempt is occurring. Previously, these reviews were conducted during the next electronic-media timeout.
September 24 – The Pac-12 Conference's rebuilding continued as Utah State would join the other Mountain West defectors in 2026–27.[6]
September 30 – Gonzaga announced it would leave the West Coast Conference to join the Pac-12 Conference for all sports except for football in 2026–27.[7]
October 1 – UTEP announced it would join the Mountain West from Conference USA in 2026–27.[8]
The NCAA Division I Council approved a proposal that reduced the duration of the transfer portal to 30 days. Going forward, the window opens on the day after the completion of the second round of the Division I women's tournament.
The Council also abolished the National Letter of Intent program effective immediately. Written offers of athletics aid will replace the NLI.
The Council introduced a proposal that would shorten the transition periods for schools wishing to reclassify from Division II or Division III to Division I. If approved at the Council's January 2025 meeting, the transition periods for D-II and D-III schools would drop by a year, respectively to three and four years.
October 15 – The Mountain West announced that Hawaiʻi, which has been a football-only member of that conference since 2012, would leave the Big West Conference in 2026 to become a full MW member.[10]
November 1 – The Mountain West announced that Grand Canyon would join the conference no later than 2026 for all sports except for football.[11] Grand Canyon's official announcement stated that it would not compete in the West Coast Conference, which it had previously been scheduled to join in July 2025, and that if MW bylaws allowed, it would join that conference in 2025.[12]
Milestones and records
TBD
Conference membership changes
A total of 23 schools joined new conferences for the 2024–25 season. Of these, 20 moved within Division I, two began reclassification from NCAA Division II, and Chicago State ended its two-year stint as an all-sports independent to join the Northeast Conference.
Vermont was originally slated to open their new arena, Tarrant Event Center, as a replacement for the current arena, Patrick Gym. Construction was to continue in 2021 but it has been delayed indefinitely.[15]
Arena of new D-I teams
West Georgia will transition from Division II to Division I and play at the Coliseum in Carrollton, Georgia, where it has played since 2009. It will be ineligible for NCAA-organized postseason play (i.e., the NCAA tournament or NIT) in 2029.
Mercyhurst will transition from Division II to Division I and play at the Owen McCormick Court in Erie, Pennsylvania (formerly Mercyhurst Athletic Center but renovated in 2021), where it has played since 1977. It will be ineligible for NCAA-organized postseason play for 2029.
An upset is a victory by an underdog team. In the context of NCAA Division I women's basketball, this generally constitutes an unranked team defeating a team currently ranked in the top 25. This list will highlight those upsets of ranked teams by unranked teams as well as upsets of No. 1 teams. Rankings are from the AP poll. Bold type indicates winning teams in "true road games"—i.e., those played on an opponent's home court (including secondary homes). Italics type indicates winning teams in an early-season tournament (or event). Early-season tournaments are tournaments played in the early season. Events are the tournaments with the same teams in it every year (even rivalry games).
Winner
Score
Loser
Date
Tournamnet/Event
Notes
In addition to the above listed upsets in which an unranked team defeated a ranked team, there have been four non-Division I teams to defeat a Division I team so far this season. Bold type indicates winning teams in "true road games"—i.e., those played on an opponent's home court (including secondary homes).
Magarity, citing family reasons, announced her resignation from Holy Cross on August 20, 2024 after 4 seasons. Crusaders assistant coach Green was named interim head coach for the season.[21]
Carr announced his resignation from Santa Clara on October 12, 2024 after 8 seasons. Broncos associate head coach Floyd was tabbed as the interim head coach for the season.[22]
^"GCU accepts invite to Mountain West Conference" (Press release). Grand Canyon Antelopes. November 1, 2024. Retrieved November 1, 2024. In joining the Mountain West Conference, GCU has formally declined an invitation from the West Coast Conference that would have seen the Lopes become WCC members on July 1, 2025.
