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PROVO — BYU basketball experienced its own version of Groundhog Day on Feb. 2.
For the second time this year, the Cougars' road tipoff against San Diego has been called off due to a positive test for COVID-19 within the Toreros' program, the team announced Tuesday afternoon.
As a result of the test, San Diego will pause all basketball-related activities for 14 days. That means the Cougars' game will not be made up, the Toreros said.
USD's next scheduled contest is Feb. 18 against Santa Clara. The Broncos paused all team activities last Tuesday, Jan. 26, as a result of COVID-19.
"The university does not anticipate affected games being rescheduled at this time," San Diego's statement reads, as it subsequently moved to cancel the Feb. 13 game in Provo, as well as games Thursday at Pepperdine, next Monday against Saint Mary's and next Thursday, Feb. 11, at Pacific.
The Cougars and Toreros were scheduled to meet Tuesday night at the Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego. The postponed game, which was first reported by Jon Rothstein and confirmed to KSL.com, was a makeup game of a previous cancellation due to a positive case of the virus within USD's program.
The Toreros (2-7, 1-4 WCC) had their matchup against Loyola Marymount postponed Saturday due to issues within the Lions' "Tier 1 personnel." USD's other game last week was a 90-62 loss to No. 1 Gonzaga on Thursday. Tuesday's matchup was intended to be the first of three straight contests for the Toreros in the state of California this week, including two at home and one in Malibu at Pepperdine.
USD has had three games canceled in the 2020-21 season, while the BYU game becomes the third game in West Coast Conference play that is indefinitely postponed. The Cougars traveled to San Diego on Monday for their first of two scheduled road games of the week.
Tuesday's game is the second postponement in less than a week for the Cougars. BYU's home game last Saturday with San Francisco was postponed, but the conference moved the Cougars' game with Pacific to that date. The Tigers nearly upset BYU in that double-overtime game.
The Cougars (14-4, 5-2 WCC), who lead the all-time series with USD, are scheduled to play Thursday at Portland (5 p.m. PT, Stadium/KJZZ).
Additionally, Southern Utah's two-game home series Thursday and Saturday with Northern Colorado has been canceled as a result of coronavirus cases found within the UNC program. Under Big Sky rules, canceled games are not rescheduled, unless both teams later find themselves with a common open date due to future game cancellations.
The cancellation comes a week after SUU (11-3, 6-2 Big Sky) paused all basketball-related activities due to multiple positive test results for COVID-19 among Tier 1 personnel. That decision canceled the Thunderbirds' series with Idaho State.
Among the other games scheduled in Big Sky play, Weber State — which has won five of its last six games — will host a two-game series beginning Thursday with Montana State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT on Pluto TV and KJZZ.
