UNDATED (AP) — Florida has postponed its next three men’s basketball games while forward Keyontae Johnson continues to show what athletic director Scott Stricklin calls “truly encouraging signs of progress.”
Johnson collapsed on the court during a game at Florida State last Saturday and remains hospitalized while undergoing further tests and evaluation. He is alert, moving, talking and even chatting with friends and teammates via FaceTime.
The Gators had been scheduled to host Florida Atlantic on Saturday, Florida A&M on Sunday and James Madison on Tuesday. They will try to make up all three games later this season.
In other men’s college basketball news:
— No. 1 Gonzaga has gotten back on the court to practice following a two-week break due to COVID-19 cases within the program. Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said Thursday that players showed signs of fatigue and that the initial practice this week looked like the first one of the school year. The Bulldogs haven’t played since Dec. 2, when they beat West Virginia in Indianapolis. They’re scheduled to return Saturday against No. 3 Iowa in a game scheduled in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
— Second-ranked Baylor has resumed team activities after a five-day pause because of COVID-19 issues. The Bears will play their first Big 12 game Saturday at Kansas State after their scheduled conference opener at home last Sunday against No. 11 Texas was postponed because of the pause.
— The Butler men’s basketball team has replaced Monday night’s postponed game with a new opponent, Southern Illinois. DePaul was initially scheduled to play at Hinkle Fieldhouse that night, but COVID-19 issues forced the Blue Demons to call it off. Butler faces Indiana on Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, its second game since resuming team activities.
— Virginia has added a men’s basketball game against top-ranked Gonzaga as the 17th-ranked Cavaliers prepare to restart their program after a 10-day shutdown because of COVID-19 issues. Virginia will play the Bulldogs on Dec. 26 in Fort Worth, Texas. The Cavaliers had four games canceled or postponed because of the pandemic, including Saturday’s scheduled matchup with No. 7 Villanova at Madison Square Garden.
