Mountain West adjusts COVID-19 game cancellation policy

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Mountain West Board of Directors had adjusted their COVID-19 game cancellation policy.

The change was recommended by the league’s Directors of Athletics due to the current rise in COVID cases and the potential impact on athletic programs.

Here is the updated policy:

  • If a Mountain West contest cannot be played as scheduled due to one or both teams’ inability to participate related specifically to COVID-19 issues, an effort will be made to reschedule the game if possible. If a game cannot be played and cannot be rescheduled, it shall be canceled and considered a no contest.
  • For men’s and women’s basketball, a minimum of seven (7) student-athletes, along with one countable coach, must be available for an institution to participate in a contest.
  • If an institution falls below the established threshold and is unable to participate, the game shall be canceled and deemed a no contest. A team may choose to participate with less than the minimum threshold of participants at its discretion.
  • If a team has the requisite number of participants and chooses not to compete, the game shall be canceled and declared a forfeit.
  • Forfeited Mountain West games will be recorded as a loss for the team choosing not to compete, and as a win for the scheduled opponent, for the purposes of Conference standings, determining MW championship participants and MW championships seeding only. Per the NCAA, this does not change an institution’s official won-lost record.
  • Roster thresholds for additional Mountain West sports will be reviewed prior to their respective Conference seasons.

The Mountain West also announced Wednesday that the Colorado State-New Mexico men’s basketball game scheduled for Dec. 28 at The Pit has been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns within the Colorado State program.

New Mexico will now open the Mountain West on Jan. 1 with a visit to Nevada. The Lobos’ conference home opener will now be the Utah State game on Jan. 8.