UCLA Women's Basketball Delays Games Against Rival USC, Home-and-Home Scheduled for January

The Bruins and Trojans were supposed to play Dec. 28 but pushed the matchup due to COVID-19.

(Jared Tay/All Bruins)

The Bruins have called off another game, this one against their most fierce foe.

But unlike the other contests impacted by COVID-19, this one has been locked in at a new date.

UCLA women's basketball (5-3) had already canceled or postponed three games due to recent issues with COVID-19, but the team was slated to make its return to the court Dec. 28 against crosstown rival USC (7-3) at Pauley Pavilion. Wednesday morning, however, UCLA Athletics announced that game would not be played as scheduled.

The contest has been pushed back to Jan. 20, which is two days before the Bruins were scheduled to play the Trojans at the Galen Center. As a result, the rematch on USC's home court was bumped a day to Jan. 23, meaning the two teams will be facing off twice in the same week.

An update from the UCLA women’s basketball program. pic.twitter.com/aWERPjS9FR

— UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) December 22, 2021

COVID-19 had not made its way through either UCLA women's basketball or UCLA men's basketball last season, and the two teams made it a month into this year before facing down protocols. It all started when coach Mick Cronin entered protocols on Dec. 15, then the men's team had its game that night versus Alabama State canceled.

UCLA women's basketball had its COVID-19 issues start the day after that, with its game against Texas Southern called off a few hours prior to the opening tip Dec. 16. By Dec. 18, the women's team had called off its Dec. 19 game against Ohio State and Dec. 21 contest versus Cal State Bakersfield and had officially shut down all team activities. 

The two basketball teams share the Mo Ostin Center for practices, dining, meetings, weight lifting and general training. It is undetermined whether the protocols affecting the teams stem from the same inciting incident, but following Cronin's media availability last Tuesday morning, he was seen conversing with a member of the women's team, one day before he entered protocols.

The vaccination status of each roster has not been disclosed by UCLA Athletics, but as employees of the state of California, both coaching staffs are required to be vaccinated. UCLA required all students who came on campus for the fall to be vaccinated or submit an opt-out waiver, and the school is requiring booster shots when classes resume in January.

With the new adjustments to the schedule, UCLA women's basketball will now return to the court Dec. 31 against Arizona State at Pauley Pavilion, with a game versus Arizona scheduled for Jan. 2.

The home-and-home weekend with USC will start that Thursday at 7 p.m. in Westwood, then the second leg will tip off at 6 p.m. that Sunday on the other side of town. The Bruins and Trojans played twice in the same weekend during the 2017-2018 season as well, and the blue and gold won both of those contests by 13 and 14 points, respectively.

UCLA is 9-2 in its last 11 games against USC.

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