Texas A&M men's hoops team out of Crossover Classic due to COVID-19 concerns

Texas A&M's football team isn't the Aggies' only sports program dealing with COVID-19 issues ahead of Thanksgiving. 

The Texas A&M men's basketball team confirmed on Tuesday that it won't be traveling for the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic in Sioux Falls, S.D. because of concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. 

"The health and safety of our student-athletes and staff is the top priority for our entire athletics department, and given the current public health crisis, we have decided to cancel our trip to the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic," Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork explained in the prepared statement. 

"In order to keep our program as safe as possible as we start the season, we sought input from public health experts and our medical team after seeing the rise of cases in all of our communities, but especially in the state of South Dakota. Based on their advice, we felt it was most prudent to stay in Texas and work to schedule a home game at Reed Arena. We are thankful for the hard work and understanding of the tournament organizers."

Texas A&M will now host the New Orleans Privateers on Nov. 29 to start the campaign. The Aggies were originally scheduled to play the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Crossover Classic opener on Nov. 25.

Meanwhile, Texas A&M football has had two consecutive games postponed because of positive COVID-19 test results and subsequent quarantines.