The men’s basketball game between No. 7 Villanova and No. 17 Virginia scheduled for Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York has been canceled.
It was supposed to be a matchup of the past two NCAA champions — and the first college basketball game at The Garden since the Big East Tournament was stopped in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Virginia, the 2019 national champion, has had four straight games called off and hasn’t played since Dec. 4.
“We’ve worked closely with Virginia on this,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “Both schools tried to make this game happen. Due to COVID-19 issues, we will not be able to play.”
Wright said potential replacement games at MSG fell through and Villanova could play a home game instead on Saturday.
The Wildcats beat Butler 85-66 on Wednesday night, improving to 6-1.