Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau
UNLV Rebels guard Marvin Coleman (31) has the ball stripped by Boise State Broncos guard RayJ Dennis (10) during their Mountain West Conference Basketball Championships quarterfinal game Thursday, March 5, 2020, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. (Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau)
Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020 | 12:42 p.m.
UNLV today announced head coach T.J. Otzelberger has tested positive for COVID-19 and that it was canceling its next two men’s basketball games against Wyoming.
The scrubbed games were set to be played Sunday and again on Dec. 22 in Wyoming. In the meantime the team is pausing in-person team activities, though Otzelberger said via a statement that he will continue to coach the team from a distance.
“I am now in the required isolation,” Otzelberger said. “I look forward to returning to the team as soon as possible and in the meantime, I will remain connected to our team remotely. I encourage everyone to continue to follow all health and safety guidelines as we battle the pandemic together.”
The announcement comes the day after UNLV canceled Monday night’s game against Pepperdine just hours before tipoff because of a positive coronavirus case.
A home game against Eastern Washington on Wednesday also had to be postponed because of the virus.
It’s not clear when UNLV will get back on track. Its next scheduled game is Dec. 31 against San Diego State at home.
The Rebels played their first five games of the season without a hitch before the virus shut things down. The team has not taken the court since winning at Kansas State on Dec. 5.
