No. 19 Clemson postpones two games due to COVID-19

The men's basketball team of the Clemson Tigers, ranked No. 19 in the country, announced on Friday that it is temporarily pausing basketball-related activities due to the discovery of a positive COVID-19 test result and subsequent contact tracing within its student-athletes, coaches and staff members. 

As a result, Clemson's games against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday and versus the Syracuse Orange next Tuesday have been postponed.

The Atlantic Coast Conference added that Syracuse will now play at North Carolina on Tuesday. 

While there is unquestionably never a good time for any team to encounter COVID-19 issues, this is a brutal blow for a Clemson squad that has won nine of 10 outings and tallied four consecutive victories. The Tigers earned an overtime win over the NC State Wolfpack this past Tuesday. 

Clemson is next scheduled to host the Virginia Cavaliers on Jan. 16. The Tennessee Lady Volunteers recently returned to work after halting activities for less than a full week, but other programs have paused for up to two weeks after a Tier 1 individual tested positive for COVID-19. 

It's likely Clemson and the ACC won't offer any update on the team's status until some time next week.