UCLA men’s basketball calls off 2nd straight game following COVID-19 developments
Coach Mick Cronin (left) walks with his back turned from the action while the UCLA men’s basketball bench applauds the team’s on-court play on Nov. 24. The blue and gold will not take the court versus North Carolina on Saturday because of COVID-19 protocols. (David Rimer/Assistant Photo editor)
This post was updated Dec. 17 at 1:02 p.m.
Saturday was supposed to mark a battle between blue bloods, but that is no longer the case.
No. 4 UCLA men’s basketball (8-1, 2-0 Pac-12) will not compete in the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas on Saturday, marking the team’s second straight called off contest and its third of the season because of COVID-19 protocols.
Originally slated to face North Carolina at 3 p.m on Saturday, the blue and gold saw COVID-19 developments within its program and paused team-related activities, the team announced Friday.
UPDATE: UCLA’s game versus @UNC_Basketball in the CBS Sports Classic this Saturday has been canceled. pic.twitter.com/LohrhHeRwr
— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) December 17, 2021
In a now-deleted TikTok posted by forward/center Kenneth Nwuba, the redshirt junior said he had not tested positive for the “new covid variant,” but some of his teammates had, thus prompting the cancellation. The omicron variant made up 2.9% of the country’s circulating COVID-19 cases as of Dec. 11, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
When The Bruin reached out for confirmation or a statement on Nwuba’s TikTok, UCLA Athletics reiterated its earlier statement.
“The UCLA men’s basketball game versus North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic this Saturday has been canceled due to COVID-19 developments within the Bruins’ program. The game, scheduled to be played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, will not be rescheduled,” the statement said. “UCLA’s team-related activities have been paused, and the status of future games is to be determined.”
The decision to cancel the contest against North Carolina comes after UCLA’s matchup versus Alabama State on Wednesday was called off out of an abundance of caution, with coach Mick Cronin placed in COVID-19 protocols earlier that day. It is unclear when the Bruins will take the court again, with their next scheduled game being against Cal Poly – their last nonconference contest of the season – on Wednesday.
The CBS Sports Classic was originally planned to have No. 15 Ohio State and No. 21 Kentucky face off in addition to UCLA’s scheduled contest. Following positive COVID-19 results within the Buckeyes’ program, Ohio State became the first team to drop out of the event on Thursday. Instead, the Wildcats will play the Tar Heels at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The blue and gold’s Pac-12 play is still scheduled to resume with a home matchup versus No. 8 Arizona on Dec. 30.
Contributing reports from Ricardo Garcia, Daily Bruin reporter.
