By ADAM ZAGORIA
DePaul will eventually play a college basketball game this season, but they haven’t played one yet.
The Blue Demons have had 10 games postponed or canceled due to positive COVID-19 tests and most recently had games Friday (Xavier) and Monday (at Butler) postponed.
DePaul’s next scheduled games are both against UConn — Dec. 23 and 30. The Huskies have had their own COVID issues, having come out of their second pause on Sunday.
Villanova coach Jay Wright said Tuesday the Big East coaches are all on a group text and expressed concern for head coach Dave Leitao and his players.
“We’ve all talked to Dave and feel terrible for him,” he said. “I know they’re struggling with [the mental health aspect] right now. And I feel for him because we all know this can happen to any one of us at any time.”
It takes 2 full screen shots to show all the games @DePaulHoops has postponed or canceled due to Covid
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) December 15, 2020
Their next two games are slated against @UConnMBB 12/23 and 12/30. The Huskies have also paused twice due to Covid. https://t.co/CWeXFesa0L pic.twitter.com/BYLLTgucfb
By contrast, Xavier (7-0), which is currently in its own COVID pause, has already played seven games. DePaul isn’t the only team yet to play a game. Temple is among the others, with the Owls slated to open Saturday against NJIT.
“As we continue to monitor COVID-19 testing and follow all university and conference protocols on contact tracing, the safety of our players, coaches and staff continues to be of upmost importance,” the school announced. “DePaul Athletics has rigorous testing protocols in place that were designed by our medical staff and the DePaul Community Health team in consultation with guidelines set forth by the CDC and Chicago Department of Public Health. These protocols are continually updated to meet the changing nature of the virus in consultation with the Big East Conference’s medical team. Both our men’s and women’s basketball programs understand the importance of health and safety during this pandemic.”
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