'Like a kick to the gut': COVID-19 keeps 28 men's Division I basketball teams still on bench
The St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team, expected to contend in the highly competitive Atlantic-10 Conference in 2020-21, hopes that its season can finally tip off this weekend.
The Bonnies were set to head to Connecticut to face some quality non-conference opponents in the Mohegan Sun bubble in November, but had to cancel that trip when several positive COVID-19 tests cropped up.
“I thought we were out of the woods,” coach Mark Schmidt told Paste BN Sports. “We had three more practices to go before heading to Connecticut, and then one morning you wake up and there’s a positive. You know it may happen, but when it actually does happen it’s like a kick to the gut.”
After working through the required quarantine period, the Bonnies are set to host St. Francis (Pa.) on Saturday. The Red Flashes already have five games under their belt, including an opening win against Pittsburgh.
“It’s almost like preseason starts all over again,” Schmidt said. “There’s been no scrimmages or exhibitions. But I told our guys we can’t make excuses. A lot of teams are going through this.”
In all, 28 Division I men's teams still have a 0-0 record as of Thursday, with three finally able to play their first game Wednesday night.
Most programs have been able to take the court at least once since the Nov. 25 start date, though not entirely without interruptions, postponements and cancelations due to COVID-19 issues. But a few other notable programs have yet to play their first game with the season now over two weeks old, including a couple from power leagues.
DePaul is going to have to wait at least another week. The school announced Tuesday that all team activities are paused, forcing the postponement of the Blue Demons’ first two Big East contests, at Seton Hall and Villanova. DePaul already had canceled or postponed five games before Tuesday.
“I continue to admire the resilience of our coaches and players as we work through these challenging times together,” said DePaul athletics director DeWayne Peevy when announcing the pause. “The hard work and support of our medical staff could not be better right now as they provide guidance for all of us. We'll continue to be flexible to gauge whether we can add any non-conference games to our Big East schedule. We're all ready to see our Blue Demons play and we'll be there soon."
Mississippi, the only other member of one of the six major conferences yet to play, is expected to tip off its season Thursday night against Jackson State.
New Mexico’s season remains on hold as well. The Lobos, whose preseason odyssey consisted of a move out of state to Lubbock, Texas, had their opening Mountain West Conference series at Boise State, originally set for last week, pushed back to Dec. 21 and 23.
The list of 28 teams does not include schools that have canceled the season entirely, such as Bethune-Cookman and Maryland-Eastern Shore from the MEAC, all eight Ivy League members, and all Patriot League schools other than Army and Navy.
The list of teams yet to play, broken down by conference, with their scheduled first game, as compiled by the Asbury Park (New Jersey) Press:
America East
Albany — Dec. 19 vs. UMBC
Maine — Dec. 19 at Hartford
New Jersey Institute of Technology — Dec. 22 vs. New Hampshire
Vermont — Dec. 21 at UMass-Lowell
American Athletic Conference
Temple — Dec. 22 at Houston
Atlantic-10
Fordham — Dec. 19 vs. Central Connecticut
Massachusetts — Dec. 13 at Northeastern
St. Bonaventure — Dec. 12 vs. St. Francis (Pa.)
Big East
DePaul — Dec. 18 vs. Xavier
Big South
Gardner-Webb — Dec. 10 at Western Kentucky
Big West
Hawaii — Dec. 22 vs. Cal Poly
UC-San Diego — Jan. 1 at Cal Poly
CSU Fullerton – Dec. 19 vs. Pacific
Colonial Athletic Association
Northeastern — Dec. 13 vs. Massachusetts
Horizon League
IUPUI — Dec. 12 vs. Tennessee State
Milwaukee — Dec. 12 at Kansas State
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Canisius — Dec. 11 vs. Marist
Monmouth — Dec. 15 vs. Hofstra
Manhattan — Dec. 11 vs. Rider
Siena — Dec. 11 at Fairfield
Mid-American Conference
Akron — Dec. 12 vs. Cedarville
Missouri Valley Conference
Missouri State — Dec. 19 vs. Northeastern State
Mountain West Conference
Colorado State — Dec. 12 vs. CSU-Pueblo
New Mexico — Dec. 21 at Boise State
Northeast Conference
Long Island — Dec. 15 at Sacred Heart
Merrimack — Jan. 7 vs. Sacred Heart
Southeastern Conference
Mississippi — Dec. 10 vs. Jackson State
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Alabama State — Jan. 2 vs. Grambling
Follow Paste BN Sports colleges reporter Eddie Timanus on Twitter @eddietimanus