The Latest: No. 3 Villanova ends COVID pause, ready to go

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:

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The No. 3 Villanova Wildcats ended a 10-day break for COVID-related reasons and returned to practice on Thursday.

Coach Jay Wright said he hoped he could field a full roster when the Wildcats play Seton Hall on Tuesday at the Pavilion. Villanova hasn’t played since a Dec. 23 win at Marquette.

Wright said he hoped Caleb Daniels and Jermaine Samuels would get cleared in time for next week’s game. The Wildcats are 8-1 overall but just 3-0 in the Big East. The Wildcats need to play the scheduled Big East minimum of 20 games to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

Wright said “there are a couple of scenarios that look crazy” to cram the schedule with the remaining scheduled games and the handful of games that must be rescheduled to reach 20. Wright says the Big East is considering several options, including the possibility of relaxing the minimum number of games.

Wright says there are still “good plans” to play the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

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A positive COVID-19 test within the Vermont women’s basketball program has altered the schedules of the University at Albany men’s and women’s basketball teams this weekend.

Instead of visiting NJIT, the UAlbany women will host Maine at SEFCU Arena on Saturday and Sunday. The women’s series at NJIT will be rescheduled to a new date to be announced later by the America East Conference.

The UAlbany men will still play NJIT at home, but Sunday’s game will be pushed back to accommodate appropriate sanitization of the arena after the women’s game.

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Michigan State is postponing a second straight men's basketball game due to a COVID-19 outbreak within its basketball program.

The school says it will not host Indiana on Sunday as scheduled.

The Spartans previously postponed a game at No. 5 Iowa on Thursday night because three players tested positive for the coronavirus. The players include center Mady Sissoko and guard Steven Izzo, son of coach Tom Izzo.

Michigan State and the Big Ten are working on options to reschedule games against the Hawkeyes and Hoosiers.

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Georgetown men’s basketball postpones 2 more games

Two more Georgetown men’s basketball games -- against Providence and Marquette -- have been postponed after the Hoyas reported a positive COVID-19 test.

Georgetown was supposed to play at Providence on Saturday and host Marquette on Jan. 20. Those will make it three consecutive postponements for Georgetown and five overall this season. The Hoyas were supposed to host DePaul on Wednesday.

Coach Patrick Ewing’s team is 3-8 this season and has lost its past five games.

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Georgia State has postponed its third straight game because of COVID-19.

The Panthers halted all team activities for a week after multiple positive tests within the program, including athletes, coaches and support staff. That forced the postponement of two games against Sun Belt Conference rival Troy.

Georgia State (7-2) was scheduled to play back-to-back games against Coastal Carolina this weekend, but the Friday contest was called off. The teams are still set to play on Saturday.

Both programs are looking at possible makeup dates.

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