MARQUETTE — Northern Michigan University’s end-of-the-regular-season men’s basketball series at Purdue Northwest in Hammond, Indiana, this weekend has been canceled due to coronavirus pandemic concerns.

The Wildcats announced the cancellation on Thursday afternoon, saying it was “due to recent COVID-19 testing results,” but provided no other details except to add that “data privacy prohibits further comment on the issue.”

It didn’t indicate whether any positive tests came from NMU and/or Purdue Northwest.

However, the Purdue Northwest athletics website, www.pnwathletics.com, seemed to indicate that any positive tests came from NMU, saying in its three-sentence statement that the games “have been canceled due to Northern Michigan being unavailable to play.” But it didn’t mention COVID-19 testing at all.

The games were scheduled to be played at 7 p.m. EST today and 4 p.m. EST Saturday.

With the GLIAC Tournament scheduled to start Tuesday, it’s all but guaranteed that this weekend’s games won’t be made up, which could make a big difference in the tourney seedings.

Both NMU, PNW and Lake Superior State are 8-8, while Ferris State is 7-7 after it was unable to play two games earlier in the season against Saginaw Valley State.

All four of those teams are tied for the sixth- through ninth-seeding positions, with the Nos. 5 through 8 teams hosting Nos. 9 to 12 in Tuesday’s first round at individual campus sites. NMU was listed as No. 7 in current conference standings, apparently using tiebreakers that haven’t been detailed.

Tuesday’s four winners join the top four seeds, which get byes Tuesday, for the final three rounds to be played at a pair of Purdue Northwest locations next Thursday, Friday and Sunday. The men’s tourney takes place in Hammond and the women’s in nearby Westville, Indiana.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.