That announcement Friday that New Mexico State had picked up a men’s basketball game Saturday vs. Santa Clara?
Never mind.
As a result of one positive COVID-19 test within Aggie men’s basketball, the team has paused activities, the school said Saturday. Its scheduled games Saturday in Santa Cruz, Calif., vs. Santa Clara and on Monday at Cal Poly on Monday, Dec. 7 have been canceled due to the positive test Thursday of an unidentified individual in its “Tier One” group of coaches, players and staff. NMSU learned of the positive result late Friday night. The program is undergoing testing three times a week, NMSU says, and testing Monday had yielded no positives.
The school says it has taken the subsequent actions of quarantining and contact tracing.
NMSU is 2-0 with victories over NAIA opponents in games played in the Phoenix area, where the Aggies have set up their athletic and academic shop since Nov. 15 because of the public health policies in New Mexico basically prohibiting practicing, playing or having a season.
The Aggies’ 21-game winning streak is tied for the second-longest in college basketball.
NMSU’s announcement came soon after news that one of college basketball’s early-season feature attractions, No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 2 Baylor, was postponed shortly before the start Saturday in Indianapolis because of two positive COVID-19 tests in the Bulldogs program.
In a joint statement less than 90 minutes before tip-off, the schools said one player and one nonplayer in the Gonzaga travel party tested positive. The unidentified player did not play in Wednesday’s game against West Virginia.
Both teams decided mutually to abandon the game after consultation with the Indiana State Health Commissioner, the Marion County Public Health Director and both team physicians. The game was scheduled to be broadcast by CBS.
