The Pac-12 Covid-19 Game Cancellation Policy for Basketball, Explained
Everything you might want to know, including minimum player counts
California and the 11 other Pac-12 Conference teams should have at least seven scholarship players and one coach available to avoid a canceled basketball game, the league office announced Tuesday. However, the conference’s policy notes teams can decide to play the game with fewer than seven scholarship players.
Last month, the Pac-12 Conference shared its testing protocols for the football season amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and many guidelines are the same for the men’s and women’s basketball seasons:
Schools will test student-athletes, coaches and officials on game day with “rapid” diagnostic tests, and student-athletes will have a PCR test at least once a week.
Games may be rescheduled or declared a no contest if the minimum number of players or coaches are unavailable.
Games may also be canceled to quarantine high-risk contacts or if the campus or local transmission rates are considered unsafe.
While still early in the season, Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has already affected the California Golden Bears men’s basketball schedule.
California was initially scheduled to open its season in Corvallis, Ore., against the Colorado State Rams, but some Rams’ positive Covid-19 tests canceled the game. Instead, the Golden Bears faced off against the Oregon State Beavers in an exhibition game declared a non-conference match.
Other Pac-12 teams have been similarly affected.
On Tuesday, the Colorado Buffaloes postponed the start of their Pac-12 conference play, a match-up against the Arizona Wildcats, because they do not have the minimum number of scholarship student-athletes.
Arizona already has had two games canceled and declared a no contest because of Covid-19.
Is it honestly safe to play with a 6 man roster? I imagine that heavily increases the chance for injury due to fatigue.