Boise State’s Mountain West games at Wyoming and Utah State have been postponed
Less than 24 hours ago, the Boise State men’s basketball team took a chartered plane to Laramie, Wyoming.
The trip was for naught.
Because of COVID-19 issues within the Broncos’ program, their Mountain West road opener against Wyoming has been postponed, the league office announced about 25 minutes before tipoff. The game was scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday in Arena-Auditorium.
Later Saturday evening, the league also postponed Boise State’s scheduled game at Utah State on Tuesday.
“This morning, members of the Boise State men’s basketball travel party began exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19,” according to a statement from Boise State Athletics. “The program immediately began following university testing protocols. Based on the test results, Boise State’s most updated health and safety guidelines and feedback from local health departments, it was determined the team did not have the requisite number of participants to compete in the game.
“This determination was made in consultation with Wyoming and the Mountain West Conference in the most expedient fashion possible given the circumstances. Updates about future games will be provided as decisions are made.”
If the games cannot be rescheduled, they will be declared a no contest.
In order for a league game to be played, a minimum of seven players and one coach must be available. A Boise State spokesperson did not respond to an inquiry about the number of players affected by health and safety protocols.
On Friday, the league announced that the Air Force at Fresno State men’s basketball game had to be postponed because of COVID-19 concerns within the Bulldogs’ program. Fresno State lost 65-55 at Boise State on Tuesday, and forward Anthony Holland did not play due to health and safety protocols.
An athletic department source told the Fresno Bee that most Fresno State players are out due to close contact protocols, and the team also has two players out with injuries — guards Jemarl Baker and Destin Whitaker.
Boise State’s Public Health office and Central District Health have adopted the CDC’s recommendations for quarantine and isolation. A positive test, regardless of vaccination status, requires five days of isolation. Individuals who have no symptoms or improved symptoms after five days will be cleared to end isolation, but they must continue to wear a surgical mask around others for five additional days.
For individuals with a known exposure, the protocol is dependent on vaccination status and whether or not they are symptomatic. Individuals who are symptomatic and completed a Pfizer or Moderna vaccination series within the last six months (or last two months for Johnson & Johnson) or who are boosted must get tested. If negative, the individual must wear a surgical mask around others for 10 days and get tested on Day 5. Positive individuals follow the positive test protocols. Asymptomatic individuals who are boosted or completed a vaccination series within the last six months are required to wear a surgical mask around others for 10 days and test on Day 5.
Symptomatic individuals who are unvaccinated, or were fully vaccinated more than six months ago and not boosted, must get tested and stay home until results are received. Positive individuals follow the positive test protocols. Asymptomatic individuals who are unvaccinated, or were fully vaccinated more than six months ago and not boosted, must stay home for five days, get tested on Day 5 and continue to wear a surgical mask around others for five additional days.
The Mountain West recently revised its 2021-22 game cancellation policy. There have now been 11 combined men’s and women’s basketball games canceled because of COVID-19.
Here is the league’s new policy:
If a Mountain West contest cannot be played as scheduled due to one or both teams’ inability to participate related specifically to COVID-19 issues, an effort will be made to reschedule the game, if possible. If a game cannot be played and cannot be rescheduled, it shall be canceled and considered a no contest.
For men’s and women’s basketball, a minimum of seven student-athletes, along with one countable coach, must be available for an institution to participate in a contest.
If an institution falls below the established threshold and is unable to participate, the game shall be canceled and deemed a no contest. A team may choose to participate with less than the minimum threshold of participants at its discretion.
If a team has the requisite number of participants and chooses not to compete, the game shall be canceled and declared a forfeit.
Forfeited Mountain West games will be recorded as a loss for the team choosing not to compete, and as a win for the scheduled opponent, for the purposes of conference standings, determining MW championship participants and MW championships seeding only. Per the NCAA, this does not change an institution’s official win-loss record.
It is recognized that state, county, and local guidelines and virus circumstances shall always take precedence and may supersede conference thresholds or institutional decisions. In the event governmental parameters require a game to be canceled, it shall be declared a no contest.
Women’s basketball: BSU’s game at Wyoming on hold
Boise State’s scheduled Mountain West contest at Wyoming on Monday has been postponed because of COVID-19 concerns within the Wyoming women’s basketball program.
If the game cannot be rescheduled, it will be declared a no contest.
Additionally, Fresno State’s games at San Jose State on Jan. 3 and at home against Colorado State on Jan. 6 have been postponed because of COVID-19 issues within the Bulldogs’ program.
