Duke’s withdrawal from the ACC Tournament on Thursday due to a positive COVID-19 test was just the start.
On Friday, two more high profile teams withdrew from their conference tournaments due to positive tests.
First, it was Virginia, who had to bow out of their game with Georgia Tech.
“I’m hurting for our players, especially our seniors. I told our young men they have every reason to be disappointed, but it is still very important how they choose to respond. We are exhausting all options to participate in the NCAA Tournament.” Coach TBhttps://t.co/GYfHmYndfb pic.twitter.com/e1vquXGrXI
— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) March 12, 2021
Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett said that “We are exhausting all options to participate in the NCAA Tournament.” The Yellow Jackets will face the winner of Florida State-North Carolina in the ACC Tournament final.
Hours later, it was Kansas who was felled by a positive test, forcing the cancellation of their game with Texas.
The Big 12 Championship Semifinal game between @TexasMBB and @KUHoops has been canceled.
The cancellation follows a positive test, subsequent quarantining, and contact tracing within the Kansas men’s basketball program.
➡️ https://t.co/cymII7H7BJ pic.twitter.com/czyJiMt0xp
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) March 12, 2021
In a statement, Jayhawks head coach Bill Self said that “I look forward to preparing my team in probably a unique way for next week’s NCAA Tournament.” The Longhorns will face the winner of Baylor-Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Tournament final.
Virginia and Kansas are both widely considered top four seeds in NCAA Tournament mock brackets, and it remains to be seen if their COVID issues will cost them seeding or a spot in the tournament.
Duke, Virginia, and Kansas are the highest profile teams to be eliminated from their conference tournaments due to positive tests, but they are far from the only ones. North Carolina A&T, the top seed in the MEAC Tournament, were bumped because of a positive test, as were FIU and Northern Iowa.
