UMass pauses basketball activities, postpones VCU game due to COVID
The Massachusetts Minutemen men's basketball team is going on pause for the second time this season.
UMass announced on Tuesday that Wednesday's game at the VCU Rams is postponed following contact tracing protocols that left the Minutemen unable to compete. The statement adds that the program is pausing "until further notice," which indicates that a Saturday afternoon contest at the George Mason Patriots is also in doubt.
The Minutemen are scheduled to host the Fordham Rams on Feb. 3. If UMass pauses for a full week, however, the team may not complete adequate practice time to play on the first Wednesday of the month.
Kyle Grabowski of the Daily Hampshire Gazette reports that UMass does not yet have any positive COVID-19 tests amid this latest pause:
Previously, the UMass program quarantined for over two weeks in the fall and didn't begin the campaign until Dec. 11. The Minutemen fell to 5-4 overall and 4-2 in Atlantic 10 play via a 69-60 loss to the Davidson Wildcats last Sunday.
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