Athletics schedule altered by COVID-19
Football and Men’s and Women’s Basketball have all had their next games moved due to COVID-19 fallout.
Tennessee running back Eric Gray (3) runs down the field pursued by Commodores when Tennessee played Vanderbilt on Nov. 30, 2019. Photo/ Ben Gleason
On Monday, three programs in UT’s athletic department announced either postponements or cancellations for this week due to concerns about the coronavirus.
The most noteworthy postponement came from the football program. The SEC league office announced the Vols’ game at Vanderbilt would be delayed to an unknown date to allow the Commodores to make-up a game against Missouri. It is possible that this matchup gets moved to Dec. 19, as the conference has recently approved that date to be an option for make-up games. The next game up for Tennessee is a home matchup with the Florida Gators on Dec. 5.
The men’s basketball program had to cancel this week’s Volunteer Classic, where they were scheduled to welcome Charlotte and VCU (Virginia Commonwealth) to Knoxville, and their Dec. 2 matchup against Gonzaga. These cancellations are due to positive COVID tests within the program, including head coach Rick Barnes, the team announced Monday morning. The Vols are now scheduled to start their season on Dec. 12 against Cincinnati at Thompson-Boling Arena. ESPN.com will have updates on the time and ways to view the game when they are announced.
Women’s basketball also had to cancel their season-opener for the 2020-21 campaign. They planned to host Florida A&M on Friday, but the Rattlers program opted out of the season due to concerns surrounding COVID-19. The Lady Vols are now going to open their season Saturday against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at 2:00 p.m., and the game will air on the SEC Network + (online).
Edited by Christian Knox and Ryan Sylvia
Featured image by Ben Gleason
