Another postponement for UConn
UConn’s return to Big East Conference play will have to wait at least another few days.
The Huskies’ slated game at Providence on Dec. 17 has been postponed to a later date following instruction from the Connecticut Department of Public Health.
According to a release sent out by UConn, the CT DPH advised UConn against playing a game before completing its recommended modified quarantine of 14 days.
The Huskies have been on pause since Sunday, Dec. 6, when a player tested positive for COVID-19. A non-Tier-1 member of the staff later also tested positive. The program has not had any other positive tests since then, and if that continues, the team will be allowed to return to practice on Monday, with additional risk-mitigation strategies in place until the 14-day quarantine is complete on Dec. 20.
UConn is slated to host eighth-ranked Creighton on Dec. 20 at Gampel Pavilion
Previously, UConn’s scheduled Big East season debut at home against St. John’s on Friday, and a Sunday game at Georgetown were also postponed.
UConn (3-0) returned to the Big East this season after spending the past seven seasons in the American Athletic Conference. The move was celebrated by a fan base that had become disillusioned with the lack of rivalries in the AAC and was excited to return to rivalry games in the league (at least in name) of which UConn was a founding member.
But not only are fans not allowed at home (or most away) games this season, the Huskies haven’t even started league play yet. Of course, they’re not alone: Providence has now had its first two league games postponed. DePaul has yet to play a single game — league or non-league — this season.
The Huskies’ final game in the Big East was on March 9, 2013 against Providence — a game the Hus
kies won in overtime at Gampel. Meeting up with the Friars for their official return to the league would have been symbolic. The teams are expected to have quite a rivalry now that they’re conference mates again, exacerbated by the outgoing personalities of PC coach Ed Cooley and UConn coach Dan Hurley, who engaged in an on-court shouting match in 2013 when Hurley was coaching at Rhode Island.
Now, the resumption of that rivalry — and at least a couple of others — is on pause once again.
UCONN’S UNPREDICTABLE SEASON
A look at the twists and turns thus far in UConn’s men’s basketball season:
Sept. 16: The NCAA Division 1 Council approves a Nov. 25 start to the 2020-21 college basketball season.
“That was a good feeling today,” Dan Hurley told Hearst Connecticut Media shortly after the announcement.
Sept. 23: UConn president Thomas C. Katsouleas tells the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce that he hopes fans can attend games “someday not too soon, but before too long.”
Oct. 7: UConn announces that it will not play any men’s and women’s basketball games at the XL Center in Hartford for the 2020-21 season. All home games will be held at Gampel Pavilion.
Oct. 13: The Legends Classic, whose field includes UConn, Vanderbilt, USC and BYU to be held Dec. 1 and 3, is officially moved from Barclays Center in Brooklyn to the Mohegan Sun Arena — which will soon gain the moniker of ‘Bubbleville.’
Oct. 16: UConn begins official practices. The team had been practicing, often in socially distanced, timelimited form, since the summer.
Oct. 22: Hearst Connecticut Media learns that NC State will be added to UConn’s schedule for a Dec. 5 game at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Oct. 28: At Big East media day — held virtually for the first time — UConn is picked to finish fourth in the conference, behind Villanova, Creighton and Providence and one spot ahead of Seton Hall. The Huskies’ return to the league after seven years is celebrated by most of the league’s coaches, except Seton Hall’s Kevin Willard. “It sucks for us … I’m still really not that happy about it,” says Willard, who later says he was just joking.
Nov. 2: UConn announces it will not have paying fans in attendance for the 2020-21 season. Attendance will be limited to the families of studentathletes and coaches. The school said the plan could be altered if COVID-19 conditions improve over the course of the season.
“Safety has to come first with this thing,” UConn assistant Tom Moore tells Hearst Connecticut Media.
Nov. 4: At least one UConn player tests positive for COVID-19, shutting down the program for 14 days.
Nov. 6: Matchups for the Legends Classic at Mohegan Sun Arena are officially announced, with UConn slated to face Vanderbilt on Dec. 1 and either USC or BYU on Dec. 3.
Nov. 12: The Ivy League cancels its entire winter sports season.
Nov. 12: Dan Hurley tells reporters on a Zoom call that he has “a high level of concern” for his team, in the midst of a 14-day shutdown, to be ready to go for its slated Nov. 25 opener against Central Connecticut State.
“If you haven’t practiced for two weeks … you have a high risk of getting somebody hurt, or really debilitating your team,” said the coach.
Nov. 19: UConn resumes practices upon the completion of its 14-day shutdown.
Nov. 25: The Huskies kick off their season with a 102-75 win over Central Connecticut State.
Nov. 27: UConn tops Hartford, 69-57, at Gampel.
Nov. 29: Hurley is in the middle of a drill, breaking down Vanderbilt — the Huskies’ scheduled opponent two nights later in the Legends Classic — when he’s told by director of basketball ops Eric Youncofski that Vanderbilt is pulling out of the tournament due to COVID-19 issues.
“We quickly pivoted to a shooting drill,” Hurley quipped.
Dec. 3: The Huskies edge USC 61-58 in a battle inside ‘Bubbleville.’
Dec. 4: On the eve of UConn’s slated ‘Bubbleville’ bout with NC State, the game is canceled due to a positive COVID-19 test within the Wolfpack program.
Dec. 5: After busing back from Mohegan Sun to Storrs and going through a light practice, Hurley and his staff feverishly work the phones to try to set up a game in another two or three days. Bryant coach Jared Grasso (a former Quinnipiac star player) calls assistant Kimani Young with an offer to play the Huskies on that day, but that’s not feasible. UConn is close to landing a game — either a high-major or a very good mid-major opponent — until …
Dec. 6: … A UConn player tests positive for COVID-19, necessitating another pause. This forces the Huskies to postpone their slated Big East opener on Dec. 11 against St. John’s.
Dec. 9: UConn announces that its scheduled game on Dec. 13 at Georgetown will also be postponed.
Dec. 11: UConn’s slated bout with Providence on Dec. 17 is postponed, following instruction from the Connecticut Department of Health, which cautions that the team should not play any games until the conclusion of its 14-day quarantine that began Dec. 6. The team can resume practices on Dec. 14, however, if no further positive tests arrive before then.