Pitt men’s and women’s basketball postpone games for COVID protocols

Photo by Justin Pondexter/Pitt Athletics

The Pitt men’s basketball team returned to the Petersen Events Center Wednesday for their first official practice of the 2020 season.

By Alex Lehmbeck, Sports Editor

Both the Pitt men’s and women’s basketball programs postponed games due to COVID-19 protocols on Thursday.

The Panther women were scheduled to play Boston College on Wednesday, but Pitt announced the game’s postponement after pausing all team activities following a “positive test, subsequent quarantining and contact tracing.” Pitt postponed its next three games against North Carolina (Jan. 3), Louisville (Jan. 7) and Clemson (Jan. 10) as well.

The men’s team has dealt with many COVID-19 complications over the past two weeks. Head coach Jeff Capel’s positive test forced him to miss the Panthers’ Dec. 22 matchup against Louisville, and an undisclosed positive test postponed Pitt’s game with Duke as the team headed to the airport. The Panthers have now pushed back this Saturday’s meeting with Notre Dame.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we have determined it is in the program’s best interests to postpone Saturday’s game,” Capel said. “The health and safety of everyone in the program remains our focus as we look to navigate this pandemic.”