Louisville Women’s Basketball vs. Virginia Cancelled as UVA Opts Out of Season
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Yet another game is getting removed from the schedule for the Louisville women’s basketball program.
On Thursday, the University of Virginia athletic department announced that their women’s basketball program would not complete the remainder of the 2020-21 season due to health and safety concerns regarding COVID-19, as well as mounting injuries that impacted their ability to safety practice and compete.
The Cardinals were originally set to face the Cavaliers in Charlottesville, Va. on Sunday, Jan. 3, until it was postponed following "positive tests, subsequent quarantining and contract tracing" within the Cavaliers' program on Dec. 30. It had yet to be rescheduled before getting cancelled.
“We have the pleasure of coaching a very resilient group of young women who have fought through injuries, a strict COVID-19 protocol, and all the mental battles that come with it,” said UVA head coach Tina Thompson. “So, the decision to end our season mid-stream comes with great difficulty. As difficult as it is to end our season in this manner, it is a necessary one. The health and safety of our student-athletes will always be the number one priority. We will continue to focus on their overall well-being and prepare to resume competition in the fall.”
This is the second game to be cancelled due to a program opting out of the remainder of the season, as Duke also made the same decision on Christmas Day. The Cardinals had already defeated the Blue Devils 73-49 in their ACC opener on Dec. 9, but were set to make a return trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium on New Years Eve before Duke pulled the plug on their season.
Three games remain to be rescheduled for the Cardinals: their home games vs. Pitt & NC State, and road trip against Florida State. Louisville is 10-0 on the season, and No. 2 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, behind Stanford who also sits at 10-0.
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