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Rick Pitino offers up services for Kentucky basketball team

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•12/16/21•

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Jacksonville State v Louisville
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Iona had a game canceled because of COVID-19 issues. Kentucky also had a game canceled because of COVID-19 issues.

Is this a reboot of “Matchmaker?” If you ask Rick Pitino, it could be.

COVID-19 has made its presence known across the sports world once again this week. NFL and NBA teams are dealing with outbreaks, and college basketball teams are now starting to cancel games due to positive tests.

So when Iona’s game on Saturday against Seton Hall got canceled, Pitino took to Twitter to find a new opponent.

“Short notice,” Pitino tweeted Thursday, “but anyone out there interested in playing us at 3:00PM on Saturday in the worlds [sic] most famous arena???”

Later on, Kentucky’s game for Saturday against Ohio State got canceled. That’s when Pitino again went on Twitter to fill the spot — and directly asked his former team if it needed an opponent.

“@KentuckyMBB if you need an opponent Saturday, we travel,” Pitino tweeted.

Iona is 9-2 this season and coming off a 91-77 win over Yale on Sunday. Kentucky, meanwhile, is 7-2 and was just upset by Notre Dame on Saturday.

However, “the plan” is for Kentucky to fly to Las Vegas to play North Carolina, according to Kentucky Sports Radio’s Zack Geohegan. So it’s yet to be seen if Pitino will end up being able to fill the game with the Wildcats.

Kentucky vs. Ohio State game canceled due to COVID-19

Saturday’s CBS Sports Classic matchup between Kentucky and Ohio State has been called off due to COVID-19 issues within the Buckeyes’ program. Kentucky tweeted the announcement on Thursday afternoon.

“Our game vs. Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic Saturday has been cancelled due to positive COVID-19 results within the OSU program,” Kentucky tweeted. “CBS Sports Classic is working with UK to find a possible replacement game.”

Kentucky said that the team is still scheduled to travel to Las Vegas, the site of the CBS Sports Classic. The Wildcats are hoping to find a replacement game.

Saturday’s game between Kentucky and Ohio State would have been a good one. Kentucky is 7-2 to begin the season, while Ohio State is 8-2. The Buckeyes have picked up wins over three ranked teams already: Seton Hall, Duke, and Wisconsin. Ohio State is currently ranked No. 15, while Kentucky sits at No. 21.

COVID-19 has had major impacts across college and professional sports over recent days. The NFL and NHL are dealing with widespread outbreaks, and multiple postponements have taken place recently in college basketball.