Ohio State will not play Kentucky on Saturday in Las Vegas due to multiple COVID-19 positive tests within the Buckeyes program.
On the same day Penn State had to cancel a game against VCU due to cases within the Nittany Lions program, Ohio State learned one key member of the lineup tested positive and would miss the Kentucky game. That set into motion a sequence of events and decisions about whether to leave, when to leave and if Saturday’s game could still be played.
No one, aside from the still undisclosed player, was displaying any symptoms as of Thursday morning, but a team lifting session was shut down and players were sent to the practice gym for socially distanced PCR testing. Thursday’s practice in Columbus was canceled as the players sat and waited two hours for results.
Just one more positive test would have necessitated canceling the game, and multiple team members did indeed test positive, although the school has not said how many.
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However, the Buckeyes had enough players to play the game and were considering still making the trip with those who had not tested positive until they realized that any player who might test positive while in Las Vegas would have to quarantine there for 10 days, alone.
That proved to be a dealbreaker for the Buckeyes. The reality that a player could test negative Thursday, show symptoms Friday and need to be retested was not a situation Ohio State was comfortable with.
The game will not be rescheduled.
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COVID-19 cases on Ohio State basketball team
The Buckeyes have a fully vaccinated roster, but players are likely to start getting booster shots within the next week.
Ohio State is scheduled to host Tennessee Martin on Tuesday before taking a break for Christmas. Its next game after that is scheduled for Dec. 28, when New Orleans comes to Value City Arena.
It’s unclear what the status is for either game, but a source has indicated that if no further players test positive the Buckeyes should be able to play Tuesday — albeit shorthanded. Players who test positive, regardless of being vaccinated, must quarantine for 10 days before undergoing a cardiac workout and beginning the process of returning to full action.
Thursday morning, Holtmann met with reporters and was asked about the recent rise of positive COVID-19 tests among sports teams.
“We’ve had to have real conversations about what’s happening both in professional and college sports,” he said. “There have been breakthrough cases among our staff this past year. You’re really aware of it, and I think those kind of conversations and that dialogue is very much a part of what we’re doing right now.”
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UCLA is scheduled to play North Carolina in the first game of the CBSSports Classic but is also dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak. The Bruins had announced Mick Cronin would not coach Wednesday night’s game against Alabama State, then roughly an hour before tip, went a step further and said the game itself would not be played. Thursday morning, UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond posted a statement to Twitter stating that there was no update yet about Saturday’s game against the Tar Heels.
As of Wednesday night, seven NCAA Division I men’s basketball programs had gone on pause due to COVID-19: Abilene Christian, Cleveland State, Georgia State, Nevada, Tulane, Wagner and Washington.
The Buckeyes made it through the entirety of the 2020-21 season without any positive tests within their program. Just one game had to be canceled: a non-conference tipoff against Alabama A&M.
