COVID-19 related issues within both the men’s and women’s programs have forced all Rice basketball games this weekend to be canceled.
The women were set to visit Texas A&M on Sunday while the men would have hosted Saint Thomas.
Here are the official statements from Rice Athletics:
On Rice women’s basketball:
The Rice women’s basketball game at No. 23 Texas A&M scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 19 has been canceled due to COVID-19 related issues within the Rice program.
Rice has one more scheduled non-conference game set for Wednesday, Dec. 29 when they host Texas College at 6 p.m. from Tudor Fieldhouse.
On Rice men’s basketball:
Rice Basketball’s home game against St. Thomas, originally scheduled for Sunday, December 19, has been postponed due to COVID issues within the Owls’ program.
The teams will look to reschedule at a later date.
Rice currently holds a 7-4 record and is on a three-game winning streak.
What does this mean going forward?
First and foremost, our best wishes go out to all the impacted players and personnel and hope for a swift recovery for all. On the basketball side of things, these cancelations offer a warning of what may be in store for college basketball over the next several weeks.
On the men’s side, the roster is robust and has already shown an ability to play through injuries. Losing out on a nonconference game against St. Thomas will cause a delay in court time that isn’t ideal, but the impact on the season as a whole seems fairly minimal at this point. Rescheduling was mentioned as an option in the official statement.
More: 2022 Rice Football recruiting updates
On the women’s side, this further emphasizes the fragility of the current roster. The Owls did sign the No. 1 recruiting class in Conference USA, but they won’t be on campus until next season. That leaves this team with a very thin lineup that won’t be able to withstand much in the way of injuries or COVID-19 complications. The margin for this team will be razor thin.
COVID-19 challenges are currently impacting the full range of professional sports, too. This is not an isolated incident. If things continue to persist, there could be more delays and cancelations, reminiscent of where things were last year at this time. Hang in there. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
UPDATE 12/20:
The men’s game against Texas has also been postponed.
