Villanova's schedule already taking a hit
The college basketball season has not started, but Villanova’s schedule already is in a state of flux.
The third-ranked Wildcats are scheduled to open the season Wednesday night against Boston College in the 2K Empire Classic at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., then face the winner/loser of the game between No. 18 Arizona State and No. 2 Baylor on Thursday.
However, the status of Villanova’s second game is up in the air. According to multiple reports on social media, the Sun Devils have reportedly pulled out of the tournament following news that Baylor coach Scott Drew tested positive for COVID-19. Yet the Sun Devils were still planning to go Connecticut, as are the Bears.
The Stadium’s Jeff Goodman tweeted Monday afternoon that Arizona State was on a crosscountry flight Monday, but was not sure who the Sun Devils would play.
Jon Rothstein of CBSSports Tweeted that the Empire Classic was moving forward with building a tournament around Villanova, BC, Arizona State and a fourth team that has not been determined.
There has been no official word from any of the schools involved or tournament officials about the status of the games.
Mohegan Sun is hosting a number of multiple team events this week to open the season. The event, dubbed “Bubbleville,” was supposed to feature more than 30 teams playing more than 40 games over an 11-day span from Nov. 25 to Dec. 5. However, several teams, including Florida, have pulled out because of positive cases.
In other news, there has been a change in plans for fans at men’s and women’s basketball games at Villanova. Due to the rising number of coronavirus cases, tickets will be limited to members of the athletes’ families. No other tickets will be distributed at this time, Villanova said in a release Monday.
“The health and safety of our entire community continues to drive each and every decision at Villanova. Based on current conditions, we felt it was in everyone’s best interest to limit access to games for the time being,” Villanova athletic director Mark Jackson said in the statement. “We will continue to monitor the situation and adjust the policy as needed as we move through the season. We are incredibly grateful for the patience and understanding of ‘ Nova Nation as we navigate these unprecedented times.”
In October, Villanova announced plans to admit a limited number of students, faculty and staff to home games in accordance with Pennsylvania guidelines that allowed a maximum of 15 percent of capacity for indoor events.
Seating capacity at the Finneran Pavilion is 6,501, which meant a maximum of 900 people could be allowed into games under those regulations. That included teams, officials, cheerleaders, support staff media and fans.
The Villanova men’s team opens its home slate Monday, Nov. 30 against Saint Joseph’s (5 p.m.). The Wildcats also have home games scheduled against Temple (Dec. 3), DePaul (Dec. 14) and Butler (Dec. 16). The schedule for the rest of the season has not been released.
The women’s team begins its season Wednesday (2 p.m.) against the Hawks at Hagan Arena. The first home game is Friday, Dec. 4 versus DePaul (7 p.m.). That’s the first of four games at the Pavilion in December. The Wildcats are also slated to host La Salle (Dec. 9), Drexel (Dec. 13) and Connecticut (Dec. 22).