The Latest: Troy’s season finale against ULM canceled
The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:
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Troy’s season finale against ULM has been canceled because the Warhawks don’t have enough available players.
The announcement Monday marked the second time it has happened due to COVID-19 issues at ULM. The original meeting had been postponed until Thursday night.
That likely means the end of the season for the Trojans. They are 5-6 and 3-4 in Sun Belt Conference play after a 42-38 loss to No. 10 Coastal Carolina last weekend.
ULM athletic director Scott McDonald says the combination of positive COVID-19 tests, contact tracing and injuries have made it impossible to safely play the season finale at Troy.
McDonald says he's disappointed for the senior athletes from both schools who won’t have the chance “to close out their careers in the appropriate manner.”
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Wake Forest says it plans to begin holding men’s basketball practices on Sunday after a pause due to COVID-19 issues.
The school announced a schedule Monday for returning to team activities. After returning to practice, the Demon Deacons would be scheduled to play Syracuse on Dec. 30. They haven’t played since beating Longwood on Nov. 27. Four straight games have been canceled or postponed, including Wednesday’s originally scheduled opener for Atlantic Coast Conference play against No. 17 Virginia and next week’s scheduled home game with VMI.
In a statement, coach Steve Forbes said the plan allows for most players to return to practice this weekend, depending on their ability to clear all required protocols.
“No one will step on the court until our medical team says they are cleared to do so,” Forbes said.
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No. 12 Wisconsin and No. 23 Louisville have rescheduled their Big Ten/ACC Challenge men’s basketball matchup.
The two teams will face off Saturday at noon at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin initially was supposed to host Louisville on Dec. 9, but that game got postponed after Louisville announced it was pausing team-related activities due to a positive COVID-19 test and contact tracing measures within its program.
This will be only the second time that Wisconsin and Louisville have faced off in men’s basketball. Louisville won 70-53 at home in 1978.
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Attendance at Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium will be limited to 1,500 for the American Athletic Conference championship game on Saturday between the No. 6 Bearcats and No. 20 Tulsa.
The university said it applied for a variance with the state of Ohio to increase the capacity for the game, but it was denied amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in the state.
The number will include family and friends of players and staff, bands and spirit squads, as well as a limited number of students and other guests. Tickets are being offered to students for $10.
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Washington has pulled out of the Pac-12 football championship game due to COVID-19 issues in the Huskies program, and Oregon will now play No. 13 USC in the conference title game on Friday in Los Angeles.
Washington (3-1) announced it was withdrawing from the championship game after determining the Huskies did not have at least 53 scholarship players available and did not meet minimum number of scholarship athletes at specific positions.
Washington had to cancel its game last weekend against Oregon (3-2) that would have determined the Pac-12 North champion due to COVID-19 cases in the program that caused the Huskies to pause practice in the middle of last week.
Washington team physician Dr. Kim Harmon said the program has continued to see positive cases over the past several days and says in a statement that “combined with issues with a key position group doesn’t allow for a path forward.”
Washington was named Pac-12 North champs by virtue of having a better winning percentage than Oregon.
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Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh says his team had a lot of “energy and enthusiasm” when it was cleared to practice for the first time since a COVID-19 outbreak broke out within the program.
Harbaugh says the Wolverines practiced on Sunday and would again on Monday before taking a break for final exams on Tuesday.
He says practice will continue later in the week to prepare to play at No. 18 Iowa on Saturday night. Harbaugh declines to say how many players will be unavailable to compete against the Hawkeyes, citing privacy.
Michigan’s previous two games were canceled due to 16 people within the program testing positive for the coronavirus, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the school was not releasing details of the outbreak.
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Buffalo men’s basketball coach Jim Whitesell will self-quarantine for 14 days after being in close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Whitesell says he has tested negative for the novel coronavirus, but is taking leave from the Mid-American Conference team to follow local health protocols. The school issued the coach’s announcement on Monday, after Whitesell coached the Bulls from the stands rather than the bench in a home-opening 81-64 win over Mercyhurst on Thursday.
Whitesell says the person who tested positive is not associated with the team or school. He will continue communicating with his staff and players remotely, while assistant Angres Thorpe takes over in Whitesell’s absence.
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