Penn State men's basketball program shuts down after positive covid-19 tests
Having already postponed its past two games, the Penn State men’s basketball team is shutting down through at least Jan. 12, the school announced Wednesday.
Games against Michigan on Saturday and Rutgers on Tuesday have been postponed. The Big Ten will make an attempt to reschedule, Penn State said.
Penn State’s statement said the program was shut down because of positive covid-19 tests among “Tier 1 personnel.”
In its weekly update on testing released Wednesday, the school reported four positives out of 513 tests administered from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard offered more details when speaking with reporters on Tuesday. Gard said Penn State reported two players contracted the virus while on Christmas break and tested positive just before the Nittany Lions were scheduled to meet the Badgers on Sunday.
That game was postponed, as was a scheduled meeting with Ohio State on Wednesday. Off to a 3-4 start, 0-3 in the Big Ten, Penn State hasn’t played since an 87-85 overtime loss to Indiana on Dec. 30.
Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.
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