The UConn men's basketball program has suspended play for the second time, and new questions and concerns face Dan Hurley's Huskies.
The first shutdown lasted 14 days, Nov. 5-19, but it came in the preseason and at least left a little time, six days, to prepare for the first game. Now the Huskies are three games in, and though there are new CDC guidelines that cut quarantine times to 10 days, the university is sticking with its 14-day standard, aligned with the Connecticut Department of Public Health and Eastern Highlands Health District.
"Although the CDC has offered additional options to shorten the quarantine times," UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said, "it still recommends the 14-day period as the safest option and therefore UConn will continue with that approach."
UConn men forced to pause again due to COVID-19; Big East opener is postponed »
Hurley noted two weeks ago the teams that handle uncertainty the best will come out ahead, and he has expressed concern about pushing players too hard, too quickly after a shutdown.
UConn learned Sunday evening there was a new positive test within the program, and postponed its next scheduled game, the Big East opener against St. John's on Friday. A game at Georgetown next Sunday is still precariously on the schedule.
Hurley postponed a virtual availability with reporters on Monday due to "unexpected matters," the university said, and plans to discuss the next steps for the program Tuesday.
So far, the Huskies, who received 12 points this week to move closer to the AP's Top 25 than they have been since 2016, have won their three games, home games against Central Connecticut and UHart and a key nonconference game in Mohegan Sun's "Bubbleville" last Thursday.
But UConn was planning to play five nonconference games, three at Mohegan. Vanderbilt had to cancel its trip to Uncasville due to COVID and that wiped out the game on Dec. 1. Then last Friday night, just before UConn was to play NC State, another opponent had to cancel due to COVID.
The Huskies returned home and tried, unsuccessfully, to schedule a make-up game against a Top 25 opponent, then took a planned day off on Sunday before learning of the new positive test.
The Big East, which had scheduled five games for each of its 11 teams to be played between Dec. 11 and 23, has to reshuffle, with UConn and DePaul both in a pause. There are bye weeks built into the schedule in February, and a week or so at the end of the regular season in March during which postponed games could be made up. It's possible, but conference sources say unlikely, that games could be squeezed in between Dec. 23 and 30, the date set for the resumption of play.
