The University of Utah men’s basketball team was set to play at Arizona State on Tuesday, but COVID-19 had other plans.
The game at Desert Financial Arena has been postponed after the Utes on Sunday reported a confirmed positive case within the program. The Pac-12 will work with both programs in an effort to find a mutually agreeable date to get the game played.
Utah’s trip to Southern California to face UCLA (Dec. 31) and USC (Jan. 2) is not thought to be in danger. In the interim, the Utes are not in a full 14-day shutdown, per an athletic department spokesman. Players who have already contracted COVID-19 are still allowed to practice, albeit in a limited capacity.
A program-wide virus outbreak in mid-November affected at least nine members of the program at the time, a group that included head coach Larry Krystkowiak. That outbreak cost Utah its season-opening Nov. 25 contest vs. New Orleans. The Utes opened Dec. 3 vs. Washington, and played the four games after that one without incident.
Speaking with reporters ahead of the Washington game on Dec. 1, Krystkowiak indicated that two-thirds of his roster had contract the virus.
Utah is 4-1 overall following a one-sided 79-41 decision over the University of Idaho on Friday night at the Huntsman Center.
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