Baylor to Miss Empire Classic Amid COVID-19 Impacts on College Basketball’s Opening Week

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College basketball’s opening night will be missing its marquee game due to Baylor’s withdrawing from the Empire Classic.

Head coach Scott Drew confirmed to CBS Sports that the No. 2 ranked Bears will not travel to the event at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Baylor was scheduled to play No. 18 Arizona State on Wednesday. However, ESPN reported Monday morning that Arizona State had pulled out from the Empire Classic after Drew tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.

Drew announced his positive test on Sunday and said his team still planned to play its season opener against Arizona State. The coach said everyone else in the program tested negative on Friday and Sunday and would be tested again early this week.

The Empire Classic was scheduled as a four-team event that included Baylor, Arizona State, No. 3 Villanova and Boston College. CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reports that a fourth unknown team will possibly replace Baylor, and the other three programs will remain in the event.

Florida also withdrew from a separate event at Mohegan Sun on Sunday after members of its program tested positive for COVID-19. The Gators’ highly anticipated game against No. 4 Virginia on Friday was canceled, as well as their matchup against UMass-Lowell on Wednesday.

The Mohegan Sun is set to host over 30 basketball teams and 40 games from Nov. 25-Dec. 5 in “Bubbleville” after several events were relocated due to the pandemic. Oregon was among the teams set to play non-conference games in the bubble, but according to Rothstein, the Ducks will pull out of the event and stay closer to home due to the virus.