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A32 sports
Diaranson 29 December 2021

Nets’ Irving clears NBA Arizona Bowl off, Boise State pulls out with

protocols, Hawks add to COVID issues

COVID list if both teams have COV-

ID-19 issues and the game
can’t be rescheduled, it’s a no
contest.
Since Dec. 15, more than
120 men’s college basket-
ball games and 100 women’s
games have been canceled or
postponed.

The number of people a
men’s or women’s basketball
team needs for a game rang-
es from than six scholarship
players and a coach in the
Big 12 to a minimum of sev-
The Arizona Bowl was three and four games, respec- en in the ACC, Pac-12 and
canceled on Monday tively, scheduled to take place Big East. The SEC requires
night after Boise State over the next several days. teams to play if they have
pulled out and shut down That included No. 2 Duke’s seven, while an ACC team
(AP) - Kyrie Irving is a step closer to making his season all team activities due to game Wednesday night can choose not to play even
debut. COVID-19 issues within at Clemson. Other ACC if they have the minimum
the program. matchups that won’t take number of players, though it
The Eastern Conference-leading Brooklyn Nets announced place as scheduled Wednes- would be a forfeit.
Tuesday that Irving, along with Kevin Durant and LaMarcus The Broncos were scheduled day include Florida State at
Aldridge, have cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols to play Central Michigan at Boston College and Virginia It wasn’t just on the men’s
— a major step toward getting them back on the court. Arizona Stadium on Friday Tech at North Carolina. The side that the Big East had to
but instead joined numerous Georgia Tech-Syracuse game cancel games. Four women’s
Irving has not played this season, largely because of his deci- college basketball programs scheduled for Wednesday games were wiped out over
sion not to be vaccinated against the coronavirus and the Nets that have been hit with coro- was postponed earlier. the next week as well, with
initially not being willing to have the perennial All-Star with navirus issues coming out of UConn’s game against No. Providence losing its contests
them on a part-time basis. Irving has not been eligible to play the Christmas break. 23 Xavier scheduled for Tues- at Xavier and Butler. George-
home games because of a local rule in New York requiring day was scrapped because of town lost games against St.
vaccinations, and he and the Nets decided earlier this month “We feel for the young men COVID-19 issues involving John’s and Seton Hall.
that having him back — even if only for road games — will al- in our program who were the Huskies.
low the team “to more optimally balance the physical demand very much looking forward Other women’s games can-
on the entire roster.” to closing out their season, Illinois also had its game on celed this week include No.
and for some, their football Wednesday against Florida 21 Iowa’s scheduled Thurs-
Durant hasn’t played since Dec. 16, but he has missed only careers,” Boise State athletic A&M wiped out because of day game at Penn State,
three games so far because the Nets had three others post- director Jeramiah Dickey positive tests within the Il- which was called off due to
poned due to their virus issues. Aldridge has not played since said Monday in a statement. lini’s program. positive COVID-19 tests
Dec. 12, missing five games. “I would personally like to within Penn State’s program.
thank Kym Adair and her The Big East cited CO- Fourth-ranked Arizona also
While the Nets were closer to becoming whole again — and team at the Arizona Bowl for VID-19 issues within the saw both its games scheduled
it was not clear when any of the protocols-clearing players putting together a first-class Georgetown and St. John’s for this weekend get wiped
would actually be able to play again — other teams were still student-athlete and fan expe- programs in canceling their out because of COVID-19
in the throes of serious virus-related depletion. Atlanta added rience that we are extremely game scheduled for Satur- issues at Southern Cal and
three players to its list of those in the protocols, giving the disappointed to miss.” day. Marquette’s game at UCLA.
Hawks 13 currently dealing with a virus-related issue. St. John’s on Wednesday
Barstool Sports, the sponsor and Xavier’s Jan. 4 game at Arizona had been dealing
And Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault became the latest of the Arizona Bowl, tweeted Georgetown also have been with its own coronavirus
NBA coach to enter health and safety protocols, joining the that it made the “difficult de- called off. problems and hasn’t played
Los Angeles Lakers’ Frank Vogel, Chicago’s Billy Donovan, cision” to cancel the game, Big East officials said they since Dec. 17.
Portland’s Chauncey Billups and Phoenix’s Monty Williams. which would have been would attempt to reschedule
streamed on its platforms. the games in accordance with No. 2 Stanford and sixth-
Daigneault was ruled out from coaching the Thunder game It becomes the fourth bowl the conference’s game can- ranked Maryland also had
Tuesday against Sacramento. Mike Wilks will be the acting canceled this season after the cellation policy. games canceled this week,
coach for that game, the team said. Hawaii, Fenway and Military with the Cardinal’s contest
bowls. Most major college confer- on Friday against Washington
Another notable addition to the protocols Tuesday: Miami’s Central Michigan will in- ences, including the Big postponed and the Terrapins’
Udonis Haslem, who has had to play far more than usual late- stead play Washington State East, Atlantic Coast Confer- game at Illinois on Thursday
ly because the Heat have been without centers Bam Adebayo in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, ence, Southeastern Confer- wiped out.
and Dewayne Dedmon because of injury. Haslem was ruled Texas, replacing Miami in a ence, Big 12 and Pac-12, have
out of the Heat game Tuesday against Washington, a matchup game that will be broadcast changed their policies recent-
where the Wizards were bracing to miss at least a half-dozen on CBS. ly to say that games that can’t
players for virus issues alone. be played because of COV-
College basketball also will ID-19 will be rescheduled —
The league began Tuesday with about 120 players in the pro- have a notably lighter sched- and if they can’t be resched-
tocols. Numbers tend to change frequently as players test in ule this week after the pan- uled, they’ll be considered a
and out over the course of each day, and the league updated demic caused numerous no contest.
its protocols Monday to allow shorter return-to-play proce- games to get canceled or
dures for players provided they meet certain criteria related to postponed. The Big Ten said last week it
symptoms and test results. is re-evaluating its forfeiture
The Atlantic Coast Confer- policy from August, which
That should mean some players who are on the current proto- ence and Big East announced gives a sick team a loss if they
cols list could be back on the floor quicker than first planned. Monday they were scrapping cancel against a healthy team;