The Latest: SWAC postpones fall sports, eyes spring football

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on sports around the world:

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The Southwestern Athletic Conference has postponed its fall athletic competition because of the COVID-19 pandemic and hopes to hold a shortened football season during the spring semester.

The SWAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors announced the decision Monday amid an increase of coronavirus cases in the South. Fall sports impacted include men’s and women’s cross country, football, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball.

The SWAC is planning to play a seven-game schedule in football after an eight-week training period that starts in January. Each team would play six league games with the option to play one nonconference game.

Plans for the other sports and the football championship game will be announced later.

Athletes will be able to attend classes, training and practices in the fall.

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Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer confirmed that reserve guard Pat Connaughton has tested positive for the coronavirus.

ESPN and the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel first reported that Connaughton said he had tested positive and hadn’t yet joined the team in Florida.

The NBA-leading Bucks earlier had acknowledged that starting point guard Eric Bledsoe had tested positive and hadn’t accompanied the team to Disney’s Wide World of Sports, where the NBA will resume its season later this month after a 4 ½-month hiatus because of the pandemic.

Budenholzer is cautiously optimistic both players will be with the team when they face the Boston Celtics on July 31 in the first of their eight seeding games.

“We’re fully expecting them and very hopeful,” Budenholzer said. “With this virus, you never know.”

Connaughton sent out a tweet Monday that didn’t specifically mention the...