The 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament will happen in a “bubble” format in Indianapolis, the NCAA will announce Monday. College sports’ governing body has been stunningly silent on all COVID-related matters thus far this year, leaving testing, contact-tracing protocols, travel plans, and scheduling up to individual schools and teams since […]
College Basketball
Coach K in Quarantine Due to COVID-19 Exposure, Duke vs. Florida State Off
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has been one of the most outspoken figures in sport, questioning the necessity of putting amateur athletes at-risk during a pandemic. Now, Coach K is starting the new year off in quarantine after being exposed to a COVID-19 positive person within the Blue Devils’ program. […]
Virginia vs. Virginia Tech Men’s Hoops First Showdown of 2021 to CancelÂ
An anticipated battle of ranked ACC programs between No. 23 Virginia and No. 24 Virginia Tech for Saturday in Charlottesville, is postponed league officials announced on New Year’s Day. The game was called off due to an unnamed member of the Cavaliers’ coaching staff testing positive for COVID-19. Virginia Tech […]
‘It Was a Bitch’: Pitt Basketball Coach Comes Clean About COVID-19, Suggests College Hoops Shouldn’t Continue
Pittsburgh men’s basketball head coach Jeff Capel didn’t hold back Monday night during a press conference in advance of what should have been Tuesday’s game pitting his Panthers vs. his alma mater, No. 20 Duke. The game was canceled due to positive COVID-19 tests in the Pitt program. The 45-year-old […]
Villanova Basketball on Pause After Head Coach Jay Wright Tests Positive for COVID-19
Villanova men’s basketball has stopped team activities after head coach Jay Wright tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. Wright said he is experiencing mild symptoms and is in isolation. “Unfortunately, we have had two staff members test positive. I am one of them,†Wright said in a statement Sunday. My […]
Duke Women’s Basketball Calls it a Season
The Duke women’s basketball team ended their season on Christmas Day amidst the program’s pause due to positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing protocols. The Blue Devils, which haven’t practiced since Dec. 16, were 3-1 and previously had postponed games against Miami, N.C. State and UNC Wilmington. School Supports Decision […]
Keyontae Johnson Released from Hospital, Diagnosis Raises Questions About Safety of College Sports During Pandemic
Ten days after collapsing on the court, Florida star forward Keyontae Johnson is set to be released from the hospital in time for the Christmas holiday. Johnson has been diagnosed with acute myocarditis, which is likely related to an earlier COVID-19 infection. Johnson, the SEC’s preseason player of the year […]
Syracuse and Buffalo Men’s Basketball on Pause, Calipari Asks Four-Star Kentucky Freshman to Step Away from Program
The men’s basketball programs at Syracuse and Buffalo have halted all team-rated activities after a member of the Bulls tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. The two teams squared off on Saturday afternoon at the Carrier Dome, with Syracuse coming out on top 107-96. The next day, an unidentified affiliate […]
College Hoops Heavyweight Bout Villanova vs. Virginia Canceled
To draw the nation’s pandemic-stricken eyes back to NCAA basketball, a marquee matchup between No. 7 Villanova and No. 17 Virginia was cooked up for a prime time shot at Madison Square Garden. And, like more than 150 college games before it this young season, it too has been called […]
Florida’s Keyontae Johnson Collapses Mid-Game, Baylor’s Men’s Program on Pause with COVID Concerns
University of Florida standout forward Keyontae Johnson, the Southeastern Conference’s preseason player of the year, was taken off the floor on a stretcher and hospitalized after he collapsed during a timeout in a game vs. rival Florida State on Saturday in Tallahassee. School officials said his parents accompanied Johnson, head […]
Duke Men’s Basketball Cancels Nonconference Schedule for Rest of Season, Xavier on Pause
Less than 48 hours after Coach K laid out his feelings about the carelessness of playing college basketball during a pandemic, Duke men’s basketball announced it will forgo its remaining nonconference games for the rest of the 2020-21 season. The decsion won’t preclude them from appearing in any post-season tournaments. […]
Coach K: ‘I Don’t Think This Feels Right To Anybody’ as COVID-19 Sidelines College Basketball’s Top Programs
Duke’s legendary basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski looked sullen from the bench as No. 10 Illinois took his No. 6 Blue Devils to task, 83-68, at Cameron Indoor Stadium Tuesday night. At the post-game press conference, he questioned why the game is going on at all during the pandemic’s darkest days. […]
ACC-Big Ten Men’s Basketball Cancellations Headline Week of COVID-19 Disarray in the NCAA
A Pair of ACC-Big Ten men’s basketball games scheduled for Wednesday highlight a rash of COVID-19 postponements, putting the season total to 80 games off the board — and counting — at the beginning of week two. The most notable of these is No. 24 Louisville (4-0) at No. 13 […]
Gonzaga, UConn Men’s Basketball On Pause, California Programs Scramble During Lockdown as Nation Reels
Less than two weeks into the season and men’s college basketball has already seen more than 75 games moved or canceled as the US nears an average of 200,000 new Covid-19 cases a day, according to Johns Hopkins data. On Saturday, No. 1 Gonzaga canceled its meeting against No. 2 […]
Jimmy V Classic: Top-Ranked Gonzaga vs WV, Baylor vs Illinois and Ayo Dosunmu
The two top-ranked teams in the country, #1 Gonzaga and #2 Baylor, play in the Jimmy V Classic today at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Baylor faces a tough test against #5 Illinois and Ayo Dosunmu, while Gonzaga squares off against #11 West Virginia. Last season, the team ranked #1 […]
Coast-to-Coast College Basketball COVID Cancellations Define Week Two
As Florida’s men’s basketball team puts its regular schedule on hold to travel to Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Casino for a pair of games in the Legends Classic tournament, other programs will have to start getting more creative to remain viable. The Gators will tipoff against Army on Wednesday and Boston […]
Westwood Rising: UCLA Bruins Basketball Team Favorites to Win Pac-12
UCLA hired Mick Cronin to help restore the Bruins to their glory days when they were the top college basketball program in the country. Heading into the new season, #22 UCLA is the favorite to win the Pac-12 conference basketball title at +260, according to DraftKings, and followed closely by […]
College Basketball Already in Peril 24 Hours Before Season’s Start
College basketball will tip-off Wednesday, but COVID-19 outbreaks in programs around the nation have put the season in jeopardy before it begins. Major programs across the country are canceling openers due to positive tests, and in some cases, deciding not to go ahead with their seasons at all. College basketball […]
Duke and Tennessee Men’s Basketball Openers Delayed By COVID-19 Outbreaks
In what portends a season of uncertainty for college basketball, two of the sport’s highest-ranked programs are already scrambling to make scheduling adjustments in the wake of positive COVID-19 tests. No. 8 Duke postponed its men’s basketball team’s season-opener against Gardner-Webb Monday after a positive COVID-19 test from that school, […]
NCAA Seeks One Location for 2021 Men’s Basketball Tournament
Eight months after the bubble burst on the 2020 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, officials believe they’ve come up with a sane idea to protect next year’s March Madness from the coronavirus epidemic. College sports’ ruling body announced on Monday they are in discussions with Indianapolis city officials to play all […]