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Baylor wins first place in preseason men’s basketball poll
Scott Gleeson of USA TODAY Sports breaks down the latest survey of men’s basketball coaches.
The No. 1 Baylor men’s team is out of the Empire Classic at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
The Bears were to be the flagship team before coach Scott Drew tested positive for COVID-19. Their opener was 17th Arizona State. No Baylor player has been reported to be positive.
The Sun Devils left for Connecticut on Monday. While the team was still on the road, Rhode Island was announced as Baylor’s replacement. The winner of this match would advance to play the winner of No.3 Villanova-Boston College.
The four-team Empire Classic is part of a 40-game collection featuring 30 teams over 11 days in what is billed as Bubbleville. But earlier this week, Florida pulled two games, including a game against No. 4 Virginia on Friday. The Gators also lost a game with UMass-Lowell.
– Michelle Gardner, Republic of Arizona.
Wichita state’s tough start to the season gets tougher
Less than a week after head coach Gregg Marshall resigned amid an investigation into allegations of player abuse, Wichita state is left with a COVID-19 outbreak that will block the start of the season.
According to the Wichita Eagle, the Shockers flew to Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Monday for the eight-team Crossover Classic which begins Wednesday. But when the travel group arrived, several members tested positive for COVID-19. The team withdrew from the tournament.
CBS Sports first reported the positive tests, followed by The Eagle. The newspaper said the team was due to return home on Tuesday. If he is to be quarantined for 14 days, two more games could be called off, bringing to five at the start of the season that the team cannot play.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes is positive
Tennessee basketball canceled its first two games on Monday and suspended all team activities after several positive COVID-19 tests in the program, including coach Rick Barnes.
UT announced that the positive tests were among its “level 1 staff, which includes coaches, student-athletes, team leaders and support staff.” The tests were conducted on Sunday as part of UT’s three weekly tests.
Barnes entered the isolation protocol after testing positive.
The Flights canceled The Volunteer Classic, a multi-team event at Thompson-Boling Arena, due to contact tracing after consulting with the Knox County Department of Health.
The No.14 flights were scheduled to open their season against Charlotte on Wednesday and VCU on Friday. Charlotte and VCU have also mutually agreed to cancel their Thursday game at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Vols will face No. 2 Gonzaga on December 2 in Indianapolis and would play Notre Dame on December 4.
Tennessee said their game against Gonzaga has not been ruled out, but remains in limbo “as an expected date of resumption of activity for volunteers will be determined after further follow-up.”
– Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Warden
Duke’s season opening postponed
Duke’s men’s basketball team’s season opener against Gardner-Webb has been postponed after testing positive for COVID-19 in the Gardner-Webb program, according to a statement from Duke.
The decision was made Monday morning after consulting medical staff at Duke Athletics. Teams may look to catch up on play at a later date if schedules allow, the statement said.
The Blue Devils’ next scheduled No.8 contest will be on Saturday, November 28 against Coppin State at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Tip time is 2 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra.
Gardner-Webb’s positive COVID test also prompted Georgia to cancel their game against the school. Georgia are currently looking for a replacement opponent for Sunday’s game, which was scheduled to end at 2:00 p.m.
– David Thompson, Asheville Citizen Times
4 first Ole Miss games canceled
The Justin Reed Classic at Ole Miss this week has been canceled.
Ole Miss was scheduled to host a three-game competition between the Rebels, Jackson State, Arkansas State and central Arkansas from Wednesday to Friday. But the tournament is now closed due to a number of positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing within the program.
Ole Miss’s home game against Memphis on December 5 has also been called off. The Rebels will not resume team activity until December 7.
Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Had the Justin Reed Classic been on schedule, he wouldn’t have been able to coach the first two games of the event.
After these cancellations, Ole Miss’s first game of the 2020-21 season will take place on December 12 against UNC-Wilmington.
– Nick Suss, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
Three teams withdraw from the event over COVID
The coronavirus pandemic has left this week’s #BeachBubble Gulf Coast Showcase scrambling to find teams days before the tournament begins.
East Carolina and Indiana state, which are scheduled to play a first-round game on Wednesday night, have chosen to withdraw their men’s basketball teams from the tournament, as has Akron. The Zips were scheduled to play at Middle Tennessee State on day one of the three-day, eight-team men’s basketball tournament at Hertz Arena.
Schools have chosen not to come to Southwest Florida due to issues with COVID-19 or players testing positive.
FAMU women’s basketball withdraws
The Florida A&M women’s basketball team will not participate in the 2020-2021 season, announcing that they will withdraw due to concerns about COVID-19.
“With the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, it was determined that it would not be possible to move forward,” the school said in a statement.
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