I was enjoying watching the Rutgers vs. Penn State men’s basketball game this week. I was hoping for a Rutgers win but Penn State pulled it out beating the Scarlet Knights 75-67. Rutgers has lost their last five games after starting the season very strong with a national top 25 ranking.

CBS Sports reported yesterday that there is a strong possibility that the NCAA Men’s and Women’s basketball programs may face a mid-season shutdown because of the COVID-19 virus.

The pandemic has grabbed the men’s college basketball programs with more than 20% cancellation of scheduled games throughout the NCAA because of members of a team contracting or being exposed to the virus or the team was scheduled to play an upcoming opponent who has been exposed or contracted the virus.

These cancellations are on a rise. More of the NCAA games are being cancelled at a much greater pace than when the season started last November.

Always strong Seton Hall is doing well in conference play with a 6–3 record and 9 and 6 overall. They have faced some postponements and cancellations because of the virus and with a good run could get a shot at winning their conference and ending up in the March Madness NCAA tournament.

With a new presidential administration comes a stronger concern and willingness to fight the virus head on and bury it for good. Some experts say that in order to do that we need to shut down any social gatherings for 100 days. If that’s the case, Rutgers, Seton Hall and Monmouth’s basketball teams will feel the brunt of that shutdown with no games played during that period of time.

Revenue lost from TV commitments, the possibility of no conference championship and not attending, if invited, to The NCAA Tournament.

It’s tough to stop the momentum mid-season and then either pick it up late season or shut it down for good. The next couple of weeks will tell how these basketball programs will fair. Good luck to them and stay tuned.

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