No. 9 Tennessee will play at home and home with Vanderbilt next week, after COVID-19 issues on the South Carolina and Missouri programs forced the cancellation of other games. The SEC announced the schedule change on Saturday night.
The Vols were scheduled to play in South Carolina on Tuesday at 7 pm Eastern Time at Colonial Life Arena. Vanderbilt, on the other hand, was scheduled to play in Missouri.
But with Gamecocks and Tigers currently grappling with the problems of COVID-19, Tennessee will now play at Vanderbilt on Tuesday at 7 pm ET on ESPN2. Vols (9-1, 3-1 SEC), who won 68-54 at Texas A&M on Saturday, will receive Vanderbilt (4-5, 0-3) on Saturday, as previously scheduled.
“The Tennessee men’s basketball games in South Carolina and Vanderbilt in Missouri on January 12 were postponed due to a combination of positive tests, contact tracking and subsequent quarantine of individuals in the Missouri and South Carolina basketball programs, according to the Southeast Conference COVID-19 management requirements, “announced the SEC in a press release. “The replacement dates for the two games have not been set at this time.
“With the cancellation of both games, Tennessee will now play at Vanderbilt at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, January 12, on ESPN2. Volunteers and Commodores will meet again in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Saturday, January 16, in a game previously scheduled for 6 pm ET on the SEC Network. “
South Carolina was scheduled to play Ole Miss on Saturday, but the SEC announced on Friday that the game was postponed due to the coronavirus protocol from the Gamecock program. Missouri was scheduled to play at LSU before having to cancel, with the SEC acting quickly to schedule a game between Ole Miss and LSU less than a day in advance.
Barnes was asked about possible schedule changes after his team’s victory over Texas A&M at the Reed Arena in College Station.
“We’ve heard it, but we don’t know,” said Barnes. “I was only on the radio program (post-game). (Deputy athletics director) Reid Sigmon told me that he thought we would definitely know something tomorrow, but we might know something, we don’t know, maybe when we get back to Knoxville, maybe we will. But this is something that we also hear. “
Tennessee already knows the COVID-19 protocol. The Vols had several positive tests on November 22, just days before the regular season schedule started, and had to stop the team’s activities for two weeks.
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The Vols had to cancel four games – Charlotte, VCU, a neutral game against No. 1 Gonzaga in the Jimmy V Classic and a street game in Notre Dame – while they were out on the pitch. Colorado and Saint Jospeh’s were later added to the lineup to make up for lost games.
Vanderbilt lost three consecutive matches to open the SEC game, falling at home against Florida, on the road against Kentucky and at home against the state of Mississippi on Saturday.
The Commodores lost 77-74 in Kentucky, with a 3-point kick hitting the ledge when time expired at Rupp Arena.
“Many things in the air now between Missouri”, Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse said on Saturday afternoon. “I think the last time I heard it, they announced that they had some problems with COVID. So it may not even be them.
“Some of the things I’m hearing are the possibility of playing against Tennessee on Tuesday and playing again on Saturday. In this COVID world now, we are day to day. I hope we’re playing against someone on Tuesday and against someone on Saturday. “