Fans still are in the stands. But the return to normalcy promised by the 2021-22 college basketball season quickly is spiraling off the rails.
The surge of COVID-19 issues wreaking havoc on schedules in the NBA, NHL and NFL isn’t leaving college basketball unscathed.
Prior to his team’s 60-46 win against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday, Colorado head coach Tad Boyle reiterated the plan remains for the Buffaloes to be released for a four-day holiday break at their respective homes following Tuesday’s showdown at the CU Events Center against No. 7 Kansas (7 p.m., ESPN2).
The Buffs are sticking to that plan despite watching Pac-12 rivals Washington and UCLA suffer recent virus-related setbacks. On Friday after practice, Boyle vented some frustration regarding the lack of transparency within the Pac-12’s forfeiture and information-sharing policies. For instance, on Friday morning Boyle lamented not knowing exactly what transpired at UCLA and UW. Not because he expected either school to name those with positive tests, but because he believes knowing what exactly went awry with both teams might prevent it from occurring elsewhere.
Boyle told BuffZone he did have conversations with the league office later on Friday, saying discussions are ongoing at the administrative level reviewing COVID policies amid a sudden and dramatic wave of canceled games and programs on pause.
“We still have to be diligent. We’ve still got to be responsible. We’ve got to be smart,” Boyle said. “The good thing is, these guys have been grinding in finals, and I think the biggest risk is when these guys go home. Most of the students now are gone, so the social life on campus has really diminished significantly. Which is a good thing for our guys. Now itap just a matter of being responsible. But when they do go home, wear your masks, social distance, and know who you’re around.”
Washington returned to action on Saturday with a home win against Seattle, but the Huskies were forced to forfeit their scheduled Pac-12 game on Dec. 5 at UCLA. Per league policy, if a makeup date cannot be mutually settled upon, the team suffering the COVID issues is forced to forfeit. UW also rescheduled its early-December date at Arizona for Jan. 25, and had its Dec. 12 cross-state test against Gonzaga canceled.
UCLA has had three games canceled, including its planned showdown on Saturday in Las Vegas against North Carolina. The fourth-ranked Bruins officially are on pause and aren’t scheduled to play again until a Dec. 30 home date against No. 8 Arizona. On Sunday, USC added its name to the list, announcing its Tuesday game at Oklahoma State has been canceled due to virus issues within the Trojans’ program. No. 10 USC played on Saturday, posting a win against Georgia Tech in Phoenix.
Certainly the Pac-12 hasn’t been the only league affected. No. 23 Colorado State has had two games canceled, including its huge showdown slated for Tuesday at No. 6 Alabama (on Sunday, CSU announced its women’s basketball game at Northern Illinois, also scheduled for Tuesday, has been canceled amid virus issues within the Rams’ program). And on Sunday morning former CU guard and Boyle staff member Nate Tomlinson, now an assistant coach at George Mason, took to Twitter seeking an on-the-fly replacement opponent for the Patriots’ canceled date on Thursday against Coppin State.
“Coach talked about it. We’ve got to stay safe and make sure we’re wearing our masks and stuff,” CU sophomore Nique Clifford said. “We’ve got to be thankful and grateful for these opportunities we’re getting to play the games. (Boyle) said 20 teams didn’t get to play today, or 20 games got canceled. So we’ve got to be grateful and come out every game strong and play our hardest.”
