’Cats’ date with UConn is a no-go

The Big East Conference is making the Villanova men’s basketball team run its full course of quarantine, meaning a previously scheduled game at Connecticut Jan.

15 has been postponed, it was announced Friday.

No makeup date has yet been set.

The third-ranked Wildcats (8-1 overall, 3-0 Big East) paused team activities after two players tested positive for the coronavirus on Jan. 4.

The UConn game was postponed because the team will not complete its quarantine in time to play the contest.

However, the Wildcats have had no subsequent positive tests as of Thursday, according to a Villanova spokesperson.

Villanova’s next scheduled game is at home on Jan. 19 against Seton Hall. That would be the Wildcats’ first game in 27 days. Villanova last played on Dec. 23 when it defeated Marquette,

85-68.

The UConn postponement is the sixth straight skipped game due to COVID-19 factors and other reasons.

The Wildcats were supposed to play St. John’s on Dec. 30 but that game was scratched by mutual agreement so that each team could have a break for the Christmas holiday.

Villanova was supposed to resume play at Xavier on Jan. 2, but that game was moved to Jan. 13 after two members of the Villanova program, including head coach Jay Wright, tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 27.

That shutdown, the third of the season for the Wildcats, also forced the postponement of games against DePaul (Jan. 5) and Marquette (Jan. 9).

The latest postponement leaves the Wildcats with 17 games to play to reach the full 20-game league schedule.

Fitting four postponed games into the schedule could be difficult. Villanova has a six-day break between games against Providence (Jan. 23) and Seton Hall (Jan. 30) and a four days between St. John’s (Feb. 23) and Butler (Feb. 28). The regular season is slated to end March 6.