Columbus State basketball game against Georgia canceled due to COVID-19
A mere two hours before tipoff, Columbus State’s men’s basketball game against Georgia has been canceled due to COVID-19.
The Bulldogs were slated to play Columbus State at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Athens but learned mid-afternoon about a positive COVID-19 result within the Cougars’ program. The Cougars were following SEC testing protocols, according to a press release.
The CSU basketball team was tested Monday, a source familiar with the Columbus State program told the Ledger-Enquirer. Around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, the team was notified of a positive COVID-19 test.
The CSU basketball team did not make it into Stegeman Coliseum, the source said. The team never actually made it to Athens, since it left for the game later than it usually would due to COVID-19 precautions.
The game will not be made up, a UGA spokesperson said.
According to SEC men’s and women’s basketball protocol, student-athletes receive a PCR test three times weekly on non-consecutive days, with one test no more than three days prior to competition. Coaches and support staff follow those same guidelines.
Non-conference opponents must be PCR tested no more than three days prior to competition.
“This is obviously a situation unlike any other I’ve had to deal with in my 31 seasons of coaching college basketball,” head coach Tom Crean said. “I said just yesterday how this season already was a surreal experience all around. This is truly that. We’re extremely disappointed for our players and for our fans. We were so excited to play today. To all our fans, bear with us. It’s going to be this kind of year in college basketball.
“We certainly hope for the best for Columbus State’s program, both health wise and during the season,” Crean said.
Columbus State is scheduled to begin its regular season Jan. 6 at home against Augusta University.
Georgia is now scheduled to begin its season on Sunday when the Bulldogs host Florida A&M at 2 p.m. That game was only finalized Tuesday after Gardner-Webb, Georgia’s initial opponent for Sunday, discovered positive COVID-19 tests within its team.
Georgia’s replacement game with Florida A&M came together in a matter of hours. The Bulldogs learned of Gardner-Webb’s positive tests and had potential replacement teams planned out for the weeks ahead.
“It’s all part of what everyday becomes with this situation,” Crean said. “It’ll kick in more tomorrow and it’s a surreal situation. You have to be able to adjust.”
Crean said it “definitely gets your attention” when teams have to shut down due to COVID-19 concerns or positive tests. Three teams in the SEC have done so already. When Crean was asked about potential absences on his own roster — regardless of reason — he declined to comment.
Crean said a few COVID-19 cases arose within Georgia’s locker room during the offseason.
“We’re getting ready to go practice,” Crean said Tuesday. “That’s kind of where we’re at. I’ll leave it at that. As we go through the year, there’s going to be a lot of things that come up.”
A Georgia assistant coach, Crean said, recommended that the team mantra be “a blank chalkboard” each day as it either practices or plays. The less-than-two-hour notice on Columbus State serves as an example of how the Bulldogs had to handle it. Crean’s group prepared for weeks to play Columbus State when the schedule released and had anticipation for their first game in over 200 days.
But as the Bulldogs prepared to play, the predictable yet unfathomable ramifications of the coronavirus came to life.
“It’s going to be pretty chaotic,” said Georgia guard P.J. Horne, the graduate transfer from Virginia Tech. We have to make sure everything we do is together.”
Each of Georgia’s non-conference games were scheduled to be in Stegeman Coliseum. Neither of the season’s early schedule changes were due to issues within Georgia’s program.
This story was originally published November 25, 2020 at 3:39 PM.
