ATHENS — The SEC announced Dec. 29 and 30 are the start date for men’s basketball conference games, with women’s basketball league games tipping off on Dec. 31

Commissioner Greg Sankey’s announcement stipulates the 2020-21 scheduled will feature 20 play dates to accommodate an 18-game schedule.

There will be two open dates which 10 of the 14 SEC schools will fill via an SEC-Big 12 challenge game in late January. The four teams not taking part in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge will play a league game on that date.

The women’s basketball schedule, meanwhile, will play out a 16-game league slate over 18 dates.

Friday’s SEC announcement comes on the heels of the NCAA Division I Council approving a Nov. 25 start date for the 2020-21 men’s and women’s college basketball seasons.

Teams can open preseason practice on Wednesday, Oct. 14, and be allowed 30 practices over the 42-day lead up to the season.