When news broke that the Ohio State basketball team was going to travel to the Bahamas for the Battle-4-Atlantis, my household was pretty excited. I mean basketball, surf, sand, and writing.
Then the COVID-29 pandemic hit and it all got thrown up in the air. As March Madness got canceled and the football drama ensued, it really wasn’t on the forefront of everyone’s minds. However, as things moved closer into the fall, we got an answer on the tournament. It would go on, but be moved to South Dakota and rebranded the Crossover Classic.
So yeah, despite Duke backing out, there still appeared to be a preseason tournament on the books for Scarlet and Gray hoops.
But no longer.
That’s because word broke Thursday that Ohio State would not participate in the tournament because of the spike in coronavirus cases occurring in South Dakota. The positivity rate currently in the state is a whopping 50.6 percent and well over Ohio’s advised 14-day quarantine threshold of 15 percent for residents that return from out-of-state travel.
The news was first reported by Stadium’s Jeff Goodman.
Ohio State has withdrawn from the Crossover Classic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota due to the spike in cases in the state, and a 14-day quarantine upon returning to Ohio, source told @Stadium.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) November 5, 2020
As a reminder, the dates for the Crossover Classic are November 25-27. It appears as though Ohio State will now have open dates during that time. If that changes, we’ll let you know.
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