UCLA men’s and women’s basketball teams stalled by COVID-19 protocols

The men's team's game Wednesday vs. Cal Poly is canceled and the women's team's next two games are called off

The basketball teams at UCLA won’t be returning to the court any time soon.

The men’s basketball team had its Wednesday nonconference game against Cal Poly canceled Saturday due to the COVID-19 protocols within the Bruins’ program.

It’s the third consecutive contest canceled for the fourth-ranked Bruins after games with Alabama State on Wednesday at Pauley Pavilion and North Carolina on Saturday in Las Vegas were recently called off.

The game with Cal Poly will not be rescheduled.

“UCLA’s team-related activities have been paused, and the status of future games is to be determined,” a release from UCLA’s spokesman read.

The women’s basketball team, which had to cancel Thursday’s game against Texas Southern due to COVID-19 protocols within the Bruins’ program, announced that home games against Ohio State Sunday and Cal State Bakersfield Tuesday won’t be played either .

The next game on the men’s schedule naturally becomes in question, which is a Pac-12 game against No. 8 Arizona on Dec. 30 at Pauley Pavilion.

The women’s team has a game with USC scheduled for Dec. 28 at Pauley Pavilion.

COVID-19 related issues have shut down college basketball programs all over the country. Ohio State, which was supposed to take on Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic, canceled because of positive COVID-19 results within the No.15-ranked Buckeyes program. Seton Hall canceled its games against Iona and St. John’s.

It’s part of a growing wave of COVID-19-related sports cancellations and postponements as the pandemic surges again this winter. As of Friday afternoon, according to the Associated Press, at least 20 men’s basketball games and 36 women’s basketball games had been canceled or postponed this season.