Scoggins: Time to change the rule so St. Thomas is NCAA tournament-eligible by next year

The St. Thomas men’s basketball team has been a Division I program for 3½ seasons. The Tommies have grown up fast.

They keep checking boxes of milestone accomplishments this season:

First time in program history with the NET ranking inside the Top 100.

First time being ranked in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll.

“Those things don’t mean anything on the scoreboard,” longtime coach Johnny Tauer said, “but I do think they reflect where this program is headed, how committed this institution is to men’s basketball being really, really good.”

Another reminder came Wednesday night when St. Thomas defeated South Dakota State — the Summit League gold standard — 73-72 at a packed Schoenecker Arena to remain in first place in the conference standings.

The Tommies had 18 assists and only four turnovers against an SDSU team that features two Wisconsin transfers and a Washington State transfer.

“A special night,” Tauer said.

The Tommies look ready to contend for the Summit League title. They won’t, however, be eligible for March Madness if they win the conference championship since they’re still under provisional status in the NCAA reclassification process.

That transition period is supposed to last another school year, ending in 2026, unless the NCAA agrees to a legislative proposal to modify the rule in a meeting next Wednesday.

The NCAA should do the right thing and remove the final year of the waiting period.

The NCAA has made all kinds of concessions in recent years. Name, image and likeness. Transfer portal. The House vs. NCAA settlement that will allow direct payment to athletes. Athletes receiving six and seven years of eligibility.

Many of the seismic changes taking place have been in response to legal battles. The NCAA finally is being dragged out of the Stone Age in its governance.

Demanding that St. Thomas spend five years in limbo is another overreach. By every standard and measure, the school functions like a healthy Division I athletic program. A four-year wait is enough.

“This [proposal] considers all of the different variables that are happening in the NCAA today,” St. Thomas athletic director Phil Esten said. “I’m hopeful that this will proceed and move forward, and we’ll be eligible in a year.”

Schools have submitted waivers over the years asking the NCAA to reduce their provisional period and been denied. St. Thomas is not seeking a one-time exception.

The school, with assistance from the Summit League, is hoping for a change to the reclassification rule that requires schools moving from Division II to D-I to wait four years. It requires those moving from Division III to D-I to wait five years before being eligible for postseason competition beyond conference tournaments.

St. Thomas is in its fourth season of an unprecedented leap directly from D-III to D-I.

The provisional period in moving up a level is intended to ensure that schools are doing it the right way by building sustainable infrastructure and not cutting corners. The NCAA requires certain requirements and standards be met in different areas, including compliance, academic and financial support.

St. Thomas has satisfied every standard in the timeline.

A few of the department’s teams, including basketball and hockey, hit the maximum scholarship limit this season. Other teams will reach their expected allotment next season.

Fundraising is robust. The Tommie Athletic Fund has raised more than $140 million in four years, which includes a $75 million gift from Lee and Penny Anderson for the construction of a multipurpose arena that opens in the fall.

The NCAA’s management council will vote on a proposal that seeks to lower the provisional period by one year in exchange for increasing thresholds on the standards that schools must achieve throughout the process.

If the vote passes, St. Thomas still must complete certain requirements the rest of this school year before officially being declared eligible in June.

“I appreciate the NCAA and management council considering the opportunity for schools like St. Thomas to accelerate the provisional period because it provides student-athletes with a high-quality experience,” Esten said. “Ultimately, that’s what we’re in the business of.”

The Tommies have taken the right steps since making the big jump to Division I. Forcing them to wait another year to compete in postseason tournaments is the NCAA’s old way of doing business. This is another change that needs to happen.