Michigan Wolverines head coach Juwan Howard Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan men's basketball out through at least Feb. 13?

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 2/4/21

Back on Jan. 23, the University of Michigan paused athletic activities for all programs, including the No. 4-ranked Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, because of COVID-19 outbreaks that included a new variant of the virus. Per the initial timeline, it was hoped that Michigan would be cleared to resume training in time to face the Illinois Fighting Illini, ranked No. 12, on Feb. 11.

It appears that won't be the case.

CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander tweeted on Thursday that Michigan won't be ready to play Illinois, and that the game will be postponed:

Spoke with Michigan assistant Phil Martelli, he confirmed that Michigan’s scheduled game on Feb. 11 vs. Illinois will not be played as scheduled. U-M’s Feb. 14 game at Wisconsin is TBD, in part because U-M and UW are determining next steps with testing and protocols.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) February 4, 2021

Martelli said Michigan will be out of shelter-in-place protocol on Sunday night at midnight (technically meaning Monday at midnight) and it will need to work its way back into basketball conditioning next week.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) February 4, 2021

Things get no easier for the Wolverines after Feb. 11, as they're scheduled to play at the No. 19-ranked Wisconsin Badgers on Feb. 14. According to Norlander's report, the status of that game is also up in the air.

The pause could be a brutal break for a Michigan squad that won 13 of 14 contests, including its last game against the Purdue Boilermakers on Jan. 22. In total, the Wolverines have had four games postponed during this unplanned hiatus.

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