A federal judge in Columbus, Ohio, will make a decision in the coming weeks that could affect the fate of exempted tournaments like the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic the next two seasons after the NCAA and the organizers of exempted tournaments failed to mediate a lawsuit Tuesday.

NCAA spokesperson Jane Jankowski confirmed that the two sides are at an impasse after meeting with a federal mediating judge Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio. Chris Spencer, the organizer of the three Las Vegas tournaments, said Tuesday he was told Judge Edmund Sargus would rule on the matter soon, though he didn’t have a specific timetable.

The majority of college basketball teams are waiting on this ruling from Sargus to complete schedules for next season.

A favorable ruling for the exempted tournaments means the elimination of the two-and-four rule -- only two exempted tournaments every four years -- and a feeding frenzy to get in tournaments that have openings like the four-team season-opening Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in New York City and the Guardians Classic, a 16-team tournament that starts out on four home sites and ends with four teams in Kansas City Thanksgiving weekend. A ruling in favor of the NCAA could mean the end of tournaments, especially for organizers like Spencer, because he wouldn’t have enough teams to fill the three eight-team fields.

The plaintiffs in the case (exempted tournament organizers) are seeking to end a rule which limits teams to two appearances in exempted tournaments every four seasons. The plaintiffs claim the current rule means fewer teams are available for 2002 and '03, which could lead to a number of tournaments folding if the rule isn't changed.

One potential settlements could be for the NCAA to eliminate the rule if the plaintiffs drop the lawsuit to pursue legal fees and court costs. But the NCAA probably wouldn't relinquish its pursuit of a set number of games by 2004, regardless of exempted tournaments. Exempted tournaments count as one game on a team's maximum 28-game schedule.

Conference commissioners want to set a maximum number of games, and force schools to count every game. As it stands, exempted events like the three-game Maui Invitational count as only one game against a team's schedule. If commissioners get a cap on games, a number of schools like Syracuse, which makes more money at home games, would probably bypass these tournaments in favor of home games. That could mean fewer opportunities for neutral-site games for mid-major teams, as well as fewer neutral-court tests for the high-profile teams.

The plaintiffs want to pursue a settlement that would call for a split in Division I, with the top six conferences (the BCS conferences) being allowed to play in exempt tournaments every season while the rest of college basketball would have the option to play in them. The end result would be everyone playing the same number of games (between 27 and 29).

While the case remains open, a majority of college basketball teams wait for a ruling before finishing their schedules. If the two-and-four rule is dropped, there will be a feeding frenzy for some of the tournaments that aren't complete for the 2002-03 season. The Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, a four-team tournament in New York to start the season, and Guardians Classic, a 16-team tournament that ends with four teams playing two games Thanksgiving weekend in Kansas City, still need to be completed. The Great Alaska Shootout and Paradise Jam tournament were both looking for one more team.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.