UNDATED (AP) — The No. 3 Villanova Wildcats have ended a 10-day break for COVID-related reasons and returned to practice on Thursday.
Coach Jay Wright said he hoped he could field a full roster when the Wildcats play Seton Hall on Tuesday at the Pavilion. Villanova hasn’t played since a Dec. 23 win at Marquette. Wright said he hoped Caleb Daniels and Jermaine Samuels would get cleared in time for next week’s game. The Wildcats are 8-1 overall but just 3-0 in the Big East. The Wildcats need to play the scheduled Big East minimum of 20 games to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
In other virus-related developments:
—The Atlantic 10 Conference is pulling its men’s basketball championship out of Barclays Center in Brooklyn because of concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. The new location of the championship, which will be played March 10-14, is under review. This marks the first time since 2004 that the full championship will be contested on a campus. Barclays Center has served as the conference championship home for six years.
—Michigan State is postponing a second straight men’s basketball game due to a COVID-19 outbreak within its basketball program. The school says it will not host Indiana on Sunday as scheduled. The Spartans previously postponed a game at No. 5 Iowa because three players tested positive for the coronavirus.
—Two more Georgetown men’s basketball games — against Providence and Marquette — have been postponed after the Hoyas reported a positive COVID-19 test. Georgetown was supposed to play at Providence on Saturday and host Marquette on Jan. 20. Those will make it three consecutive postponements for Georgetown and five overall this season.
—Georgia State has postponed its third straight game because of COVID-19. The Panthers halted all team activities for a week after multiple positive tests within the program, including athletes, coaches and support staff. That forced the postponement of two games against Sun Belt Conference rival Troy. Georgia State was scheduled to play back-to-back games against Coastal Carolina this weekend, but the Friday contest was called off. The teams are still set to play on Saturday.
—South Carolina basketball coach Frank Martin and two other staffers will not travel with the Gamecocks for a game Saturday night at LSU. The school said Martin, assistant coach Chuck Martin and Doug Edwards, who’s in charge of student-athlete development, are staying home because of COVID-19 “health and safety protocols.”
