LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 15: General view of basketballs stacked on the court as it was announced that the game between the UCLA Bruins and the Alabama State Hornets will not be played as scheduled due to COVID-19 protocols . at UCLA Pauley Pavilion on December 15, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
The UCLA men's basketball game scheduled for Saturday against North Carolina was canceled Friday due to COVID-19 problems in the Bruins program.
The team announced the cancellation of the CBS Sports Classic game in a tweet Friday morning. The game was scheduled to be played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It will not be rescheduled.
UCLA's team-related activities have been paused and the status of future games is to be determined, the school's athletic department said.
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The other game that was part of the four-team Las Vegas event, a matchup between No. 15 Ohio State and No. 21 Kentucky, was canceled Thursday because of positive COVID-19 results within the Buckeyes program. Kentucky said the Wildcats were still scheduled to travel to Las Vegas to find a possible replacement game and are working with Classic officials to fill the void.
On Thursday, the Bruins women’s basketball game against Texas Southern was canceled due to COVID protocols.
Earlier this week, the Bruins game against Alabama State also was called off because of COVID-19 protocols. The decision was announced Wednesday an hour before the fourth-ranked Bruins were set to take the court.
Some players from both teams were on the court when they were informed. Earlier in the day, UCLA said coach Mick Cronin would miss the game because of COVID-19 protocols.
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He was set to be replaced by associate head coach Darren Savino.
Fans streaming toward Pauley Pavilion were taken by surprise as word of mouth spread. The arena had yet to be opened to the public.
Alabama State had been in the Los Angeles area since last week, when the Hornets lost at Pepperdine 79-62 on Saturday.
