Last week, the Great Lakes Valley Conference Council of Presidents approved a 22-game basketball schedule that consists of conference-only games starting Thanksgiving weekend. Truman State women’s basketball coach Theo Dean says it’s nice to have a bit of good news for the players.

At this time, spectators will be prohibited at all GLVC basketball games. Dean hopes that will change, but understands.

The league’s 15 teams will be divided into three five-team divisions. Truman State is in the Central Division with Quincy, Lindenwood, Maryville, and Missouri-St. Louis. The East Division will consist of Illinois Springfield, Indianapolis, Lewis, McKendree and Southern Indiana. The West Division will be home to Drury, Missouri S&T, Rockhurst, Southwest Baptist and William Jewell. Each team will play its divisional opponent twice, both home and away, and will also battle home and away contests against four random non-divisional opponents, while playing every other non-divisional opponent once.

The 2021 GLVC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament is scheduled to be contested at a site to be determined, March 4-7th, and will feature the top eight teams based on the GLVC’s Point Rating System.

The Truman men’s and women’s basketball teams will open with four games on the road, starting Thanksgiving weekend with trips to Lewis and Indianapolis. The Bulldogs’ home opener will be December 12th versus Maryville and will be the start of four games in a row that will carry into January.