(Photo: Susan Wong/WCSN)
Arizona State Men’s Basketball’s Thursday game against Oregon has been postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Ducks program, it was announced Tuesday.
The University of Oregon said in a statement that its men’s basketball team has paused all team-related activities effective immediately due to COVID-19 protocols.
“The University of Oregon men’s basketball program has paused all team-related activities because of COVID-19 protocols,” the statement said. “As a result, the Ducks’ games on Thursday, Jan. 14 against Arizona State and Saturday, Jan. 16 against Arizona are being postponed. Rescheduled dates for those contests will be announced when finalized.”
The news is due to a positive test within the Oregon program, according to Stadium’s Jeff Goodman.
The postponement comes soon after ASU went 22 consecutive days without a contest due COVID-19 concerns at Incarnate Word, Utah and within its own program. Before the COVID-19’s initial collision with ASU’s season, the Sun Devils were 4-3 and had come off of a poor showing against UTEP. The hiatus gave ASU an opportunity to shake off freshman forward Marcus Bagley’s calf injury and adjust following its arguably disappointing start.
Jan. 7 served as a blank canvas for ASU after three weeks off, as UCLA came to town. Aspirations of reaching the NCAA’s infamous spring Tournament were still fresh on the minds of the Sun Devils. With the canvas there, it was time for ASU to paint its destiny.
The watercolors would have to wait, though, as even more turmoil ensued. ASU lost four scholarship players for miscellaneous reasons against the Bruins. Senior guard Remy Martin, sophomore guard Jaelen House, junior forward Taeshon Cherry and sophomore forward Jalen Graham were all sidelined in the Sun Devils’ loss to UCLA and missed the following game against USC as well. As a result, ASU lost both games and dropped to 4-5 on the season.
Now, another – this time small – break might give the Sun Devils a chance to regroup once again during a tumultuous season.
ASU’s next contest is slated for Saturday, Jan. 16 against Oregon State.
