What used to take weeks of manual shuffling and logistical headaches was solved in under an hour. We delivered a fair, resilient schedule that respected our academic commitments.
— Ivy League Athletics Commissioner
Use Case
Ivy League conferences needed to build full winter schedules for basketball and hockey while fully respecting a strict no-games policy during final exams and dealing with weather delays and venue conflicts.
The Challenges
- Exam week could not be included in scheduled dates
- Weather related cancellations limit flexibility
- Venue availability can vary on a weekly basis
- Back-to-back games with little recovery
- Academic integrity policies restrict rescheduling
- Attention to athlete health and wellbeing by avoiding limited recovery time
The SchedulOpt® Solution
SchedulOpt®’s advanced rules engine helped the Ivy League maintain a full and fair season by automatically adapting to academic, logistical, and weather-related constraints.
Step 1 - Team SetupThe 12 Ivy League schools were entered into the system. The location of their venues was included to enable distance minimisation across the schedule.
Step 2 - Date Configuration- Define tournament start and end dates
- Use Quick Setup to auto-schedule on Thursdays and Saturdays
- Block exam week using the Blackout Dates feature
Step 3 - Tournament ConfigurationIn the Tournament module:
- Type: Round-Robin
- Number of times each team plays every opponent:(Double Round-Robin)
Step 4 - Rules ConfigurationVenue Availability Constraints
Apply the Team Availabilities Rule to avoid scheduling Home games on dates when a team's venue is unavailable.
Handling Weather Disruptions
For games postponed or cancelled due to weather:
- Completed matches looked with Pre-Scheduled Games
- Remaining schedule re-optimised
Travel Balance & Spacing
- Even distribution of Home and Away games
- Applied Repeat Opponent Spacing to ensure at least 6 dates between repeated matchups
Athlete Wellness Guidelines
- Use the Home-Away Sequencing Rule to prevent long consecutive runs of Away (or Home) games
The Outcome
Despite academic blackouts and weather disruptions, SchedulOpt® delivered a complete and fair season schedule.
- Full schedule completed within the tight semester window
- No games were scheduled during the protected exam week
- Recovery gaps and fairness rules were automatically upheld, even after re-scheduling
- Student-athlete wellness was protected with travel limits and balanced Home/Away sequences
