Buckeyes cancel marquee Kentucky matchup due to positive COVID tests
COLUMBUS — Ohio State was slated to appear in one of the marquee matchups in all of college basketball this weekend.
That game won’t happen, though.
The Buckeyes are dealing with positive COVID-19 results on their roster, shutting down team activities and forcing them to cancel their game against No. 21 Kentucky in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Players and coaches will continue to be tested in accordance with Big Ten guidelines, according to a release put out by the program.
After winning four straight games, including victories over then-No. 1 Duke and a ranked Wisconsin team, both at home, the Buckeyes had a week off in the schedule for rest and recovery.
Now they’re forced to be out for an even longer stretch than the planned week away. No timetable has been given for a possible return to team activities as of Thursday afternoon.
Ohio State had been riding the high of the four-game winning streak heading into the week off. Leadership was about to be a determining factor in whether the Buckeyes would come back down or even out and play consistent basketball.
But now the leadership of a team that seems to be a healthy mix between veterans and young players will be tested in a different way — one of resolve and how to handle an unexpected pause for the program.
“It’s important,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said Thursday morning. You really rely on your maturity of your captains. The leadership of your group determines, in a lot of ways, how you proceed after you’ve won a few. You’re constantly fighting human nature, the idea of maybe pulling back a little bit. We had a pretty direct conversation before practice yesterday about the important to earn the right to play well Saturday right now.”
But the Buckeyes won’t get to show they earned that right. Team activities are on hold and the game that was slated to headline the day of college basketball around the country Saturday has been canceled.
Ohio State won’t be making the trip to Las Vegas to square off against Kentucky.
This is a developing story. Lettermen Row will have more when information becomes available.
