When Northern Kentucky recently made the classless decision to leave the Atlantic Sun Conference without giving a one-year notice, it left the University of North Florida, Jacksonville University and five other league members scrambling to fill schedules for next year.
How basketball teams intend to combat the problem might become clear after A-Sun athletic directors meet next week in Daytona Beach, but the options appear to be playing league opponents three times (instead of two) or trying to fit 18 or 19 non-conference games from mid-November to early January.
Either way, NKU bolting for the Horizon League so quickly — especially after the A-Sun gave the Norse a Division I lifeline when nobody else would take them — left a lot of ADs and coaches feeling like they were ambushed.