Wednesday’s Kansas-Harvard men’s basketball game canceled because of injuries, COVID issues within Harvard program

The Kansas men’s basketball application declared Sunday night that its impending household activity with Ivy League university Harvard has been canceled.

A statement unveiled by Kansas Athletics indicated that the Dec. 29 video game with Harvard had been named off “because of a mix of injuries and optimistic COVID-19 tests in just the Harvard system.”

The statement also claimed the sport will not be rescheduled this season.

For every a assertion on Harvard’s internet site, “The Ivy League continues to continue to keep the protection of its university student-athletes, staff members and better campus communities at the forefront of its decision-making in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Soon soon after the announcement of Wednesday’s cancellation, Kansas coach Monthly bill Self informed the Journal-Planet that all of his players manufactured it back to campus from winter season crack on Sunday and that the staff was practising Sunday night.

The cancelation is the 2nd in a row for seventh-ranked KU, which also experienced very last week’s highway sport at Colorado canceled simply because of COVID challenges within the CU software.

Though announcing the Harvard cancellation, KU officials explained the application was searching for an opponent to get Harvard’s location and come to Lawrence on Wednesday for a activity at Allen Fieldhouse.

The assertion notes that all tickets issued for the Harvard recreation will mechanically be transferred more than to the new match. Details will be launched as soon as a new opponent is finalized.

Though he reported he did not right away really feel the have to have to makeup the Colorado activity, Self mentioned Tuesday that he believed a lot more games, throughout faculty basketball, would be canceled going ahead and that he would be more probably to incorporate game titles to KU’s 2021-22 routine if the Jayhawks suffered potential cancellations.

Filling in for Self on his “Hawk Talk” radio demonstrate on Wednesday night, KU assistant coach Kurtis Townsend predicted that KU probable would seem for a substitute for Harvard if one thing have been to take place to that game. The strategy, Townsend mentioned, would be to locate a team that was currently scheduled to perform on Dec. 29, therein quickly filling the slot for both of those programs.

If KU can’t uncover a person to choose the video game, the Jayhawks will be forced to go two whole months concerning game titles — if not extended — with the very last activity coming at property on Dec. 18 and the up coming slated for Jan. 1 at house versus TCU in the Massive 12 Conference opener for both of those teams.

Prior to possibly cancellation, Self was questioned no matter if he was worried about COVID impacting the 2021-22 routine. At the time, he reported he was bracing for issues and indicated that trying to keep a distinct head was the critical to obtaining by way of it.

“I assume it is a single of these things that you have got to deal with it, roll with it and do not try out to manage the unmanageable — and don’t get way too annoyed when items take place,” he mentioned.

Self claimed then that KU’s entire roster experienced been vaccinated and that all but “a pair” of Jayhawks also had been given their booster shots.

Cancellations and past-moment additions have grow to be commonplace in school basketball through the earlier two seasons. Very last year, total schedules have been scrapped in the months and times primary up to the commence of the season, which, itself, was in jeopardy because of the pandemic.

KU included a game to its 2020-21 agenda — UTEP at household — through the ultimate 7 days of the standard period, which was remaining open to build options for Significant 12 plans to schedule make-up online games. KU did not endure any Massive 12 cancellations last period and for that reason had the possibility to incorporate a nonconference opponent to continue to be sharp heading into the postseason.

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Where might Kansas glance for a substitute for Harvard? In his newest “Tale of the Tait” web site, Matt Tait provides up his preliminary thoughts on who the Jayhawks may possibly connect with 1st.