There’s an old Jimmy Buffett song that starts out, “Years grow shorter, not longer, the more you’ve been on your own.”

It’s from “Wonder Why We Ever Go Home” off the Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes album, which means nothing except to us Parrotheads. But the years are definitely growing shorter and the seasons are growing longer when it comes to college basketball.

Relaxed NCAA regulations allow teams to play earlier games, and the Sun Belt Conference squads are taking advantage. Every one of the 13 men’s teams by the time Saturday night, Nov. 11, is over, and New Orleans will have played twice.

“There’s no doubt you have to be ready earlier,” said South Alabama coach John Pelphrey, whose squad surprised everyone and won last year’s Sun Belt title. “We’re not starting practice any earlier but we’re playing earlier. Then you’ve got Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring break. It’s a challenge.”

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com