Eastern Michigan men's basketball postpones pair of games due to COVID

The Eastern Michigan men’s basketball team has postponed its next two scheduled games because of COVID-19.

Home games Tuesday (Ohio) and Saturday (Buffalo) have been called off, the school announced Monday. The Mid-American Conference games will be attempted to be made up, but if they can’t, they will be considered no-contests.

The Eastern Michigan women’s basketball team has called off three games — two nonconference games canceled outright and a league game postponed — and pushed another back a day because of COVID.

This marks the second consecutive season both EMU programs have been shut down because of the pandemic.

Those are the only two Division I basketball teams in the state with COVID outbreaks this season, though the pandemic is taking a toll on college basketball and sports nationally — including Central Michigan football, which now will move to play Washington State in the Sun Bowl, with Boise State having to pull out of the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl on Monday because of COVID.

On Monday night, the CDC announced it was cutting the recommended isolation days for those who test positive from 10 to five, so long as they're no longer asymptomatic. That could help the sports calendar if leagues like the NFL, NHL and NBA decide to alter their policies and follow the CDC guidelines.

The Eastern Michigan men (5-6), under first-year head coach Stan Health, are next scheduled to play Jan. 4 at rival Western Michigan.