It will take teamwork to see a better year

It's impossible to predict what the year 2021 will bring. Even though putting up a new calendar won't solve all of the problems that emerged in 2020, it's safe to say that everyone was just ready for a fresh start.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) didn't magically disappear just because the clock struck midnight last night, but maybe the situation will improve soon now that vaccinations have started to circulate. It will take some time before that really starts to make a difference.

Until progress is made, adjustments will still have to be made in order to be as safe as possible. Cases continued to rise in Mississippi to close out 2020 and the pandemic is expected to get worse before it gets better so buckle up for some potentially rough days ahead.

Sports locally will most definitely be impacted over the next few weeks.

As a football season wraps up, where even some college postseason bowl games were canceled because of COVID-19, it's going to be much more difficult to keep a basketball season going it seems.

Games are going to have to be postponed. It has already happened for the Mississippi State women's team.

Because of coronavirus concerns with the Vanderbilt women's program, the originally scheduled Sunday game against MSU was postponed.

The Bulldogs were proactive and were able to schedule a game against Kentucky for Sunday. That will take place at Humphrey Coliseum with a noon tip.

After both the MSU men and women opened the Southeastern Conference schedule on consecutive days against the Georgia Bulldogs to close 2020, State will now face the same school in backto-back days again when the

Wildcats come to Starkville on Saturday for men and Sunday for women. At least, that's the hope.

It's not going to be easy to get through a basketball season. What we've seen with the Bulldog women the last few days will become more common as we get deeper into January. There are going to be many games moving around on the college and

high school level and it's going to be hard to keep up with the changes.

That will make updating the Area Slate feature that the Starkville Daily News publishes on a daily basis very challenging. Games are sure to be postponed or canceled with little or no advanced warning.

Basketball is fighting a tougher battle than outdoor sports like football because it is played in enclosed arenas where the spread of the coronavirus is more likely. Chances just can not be taken if there are cases associated with any team.

In this era of pandemic, safety measures are going to continue to be emphasized. Even though it may not seem to be working, masks and social distancing must be a part of our daily lives going into 2021.

Hopefully this year will be much better than the last one, but it will take time and teamwork from everyone to see that improvement.