HANOVER — The Dartmouth College men’s and women’s basketball teams have postponed their home games this week after positive tests for COVID-19 emerged in both programs.
The Big Green women were scheduled to host the University of Massachusetts on Tuesday evening, while the men had a matchup with the University of New Hampshire scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Both teams will work to find a makeup date.
Dartmouth interim athletic director Peter Roby said both teams are still hoping to open Ivy League play against Cornell on Sunday, with the women playing at Leede Arena and the men traveling to Ithaca, N.Y. The Big Red also are dealing with COVID-19 — their two basketball programs have canceled a combined five games this month, including one for each team on Tuesday.
“We’ve now got our sights set on Ivy League play, and we just have to see what the results of tests are going forward,” Roby said. “We’re hopeful that we won’t have any more games impacted, but this thing is fluid, so it’s hard to predict.”
The Ivy League was the first conference to pause activities when the pandemic began in March 2020, and sports were canceled for the 2020-21 academic year. Roby said there is no talk of that happening again, however, even with the omicron variant fueling a new surge in cases across the United States and the world.
Dartmouth’s fall quarter ended before Thanksgiving, and classes are scheduled to resume in person on Jan. 4. The men’s team will enter conference play with a 3-8 record thanks to a seven-game losing streak; the Big Green’s last six losses were all either by six points or fewer or in overtime. The women’s team is currently 1-11, with the only win coming at Texas State on Dec. 16.
“If we’ve learned anything over the last couple of years, it’s don’t plan too far ahead because we don’t know what the reality is going to be when you get there,” Roby said. “We’re just trying to take every precaution to keep our students, coaches and staff safe and healthy.”
Benjamin Rosenberg can be reached at brosenberg@vnews.com or 603-727-3302.