Northwestern postpones men's basketball game at Iowa due to COVID-19 outbreak

For the first time in a long time, a sports game won't be played because of COVID-19.

Northwestern announced Tuesday that its Wednesday men's basketball game at Iowa has been postponed because of an outbreak on the team. The Wildcats have only six available players, according to Stadium's Jeff Goodman. The two sides will work to reschedule the Big Ten matchup.

Both teams are well behind Purdue in the conference standings. Northwestern (12-5 overall, 3-3 Big Ten) lost its past two games, while Iowa (12-6, 4-3 Big Ten) is on a four-game winning streak.

COVID-19 cancellations and postponements haven't played a role in college sports since 2021 when multiple schools endured outbreaks. Schools like UCLA, Ohio State and Duke canceled multiple games early in the 2021-22 season because of the Omicron variant of the virus.

Northwestern will look to reschedule its game with Iowa. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
Northwestern will look to reschedule its game with Iowa. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)