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Michigan had the option of not playing Friday’s game at Purdue, and the Wolverines have considered it.
Some Michigan players even leaned that way in light of the positive COVID-19 test in the Purdue program.
Purdue’s flexibility and transparency kept the game going as planned. Michigan won 70-53.
At 5:13 p.m., Purdue announced that starting goaltender Sasha Stefanovic would not be playing due to a positive COVID test. Ahead of the 7:00 am tip, many social media wondered if the game should take place. The teams initially wondered the same thing.
According to Purdue coach Matt Painter, Stefanovic felt great before, during and immediately after Purdue’s victory at Ohio State on Tuesday night. Stefanovic started showing symptoms of COVID on Wednesday morning. His two tests that day, however, came back negative. Even so, the team quarantined him.
On Thursday he tested positive, both with the initial antigen test and the follow-up PCR test.
According to Painter, his team have been following protocols all season. Players wore masks and did not eat or drink on the bus and plane to and from the state of Ohio. Stefanovic had no contact with anyone after showing symptoms.
Chris Forman, director of sports information for Purdue, tweeted before the advice: “We feel VERY confident in our protocols.”
Despite this, Painter contacted Ohio State and Michigan on Thursday. He has spoken to Michigan coach Juwan Howard about the positive test and to respond with any questions or concerns.
Michigan, as a program, decided that the entire Purdue team should take a PCR test, even though no other boilermaker had tested positive via the antigen test.
“We honored that and I think it was a good decision,” Painter said. These tests came back negative.
Painter said Big Ten coaches agreed that if a team decides not to play, the opponent should respect them. “We have this gentlemen’s accord in our league,” he said.
Howard confirmed his conversations with Painter.
“My heart went to the Purdue program and to this player,” Howard said. “Upon discovering something like this, I was devastated for this particular student-athlete.”
Related: How Michigan basketball thwarts COVID and hopes for the best
The Wolverines are reducing their flights this season due to the pandemic, so they took a bus to West Lafayette after Thursday’s practice.
“We felt comfortable coming here and playing a game,” Howard said. “I spoke to every player as well as to the staff, making sure everyone was comfortable, not just me. They all have a voice when it comes to a serious situation like this.
The players decided the risk was minimal.
“They were transparent,” said senior guard Eli Brooks, a co-captain, referring to Purdue. “Everything we needed to know, we knew.”
Isaiah Livers, another senior co-captain, echoed his teammate. “At first a lot of us – I was opposed to (playing).” After learning the protocols and the schedule, he felt comfortable making the trip. Livers scored a high of 22 points as Michigan improved to 13-1.
“We weren’t going to take the bus here if they weren’t totally honest and upfront with us,” Livers said.
Howard didn’t know which Purdue player had tested positive until 45 minutes before the prediction.
“COVID is real,” Howard said. “I lost a member of my family to COVID. A kid like that, (Stefanovic), a student athlete, loves to play basketball, now that he has to deal with it, I just hope he comes back healthy.
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