The contest scheduled Saturday night between Oregon No. 7 and VCU No. 10 in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament was declared out of contention, with ducks passing in the second round due to COVID-19 problems in the VCU program. It is the first cancellation of the tournament, as the event continues with rigorous COVID-19 testing standards.
“The NCAA Division I men’s basketball committee said the VCU-Oregon game scheduled for Saturday night at Indiana Farmers Coliseum is a negative contest because of COVID-19 protocols,” the NCAA said in a statement. “This decision was made in consultation with the Department of Public Health in Marion County. As a result, Oregon will advance to the next round of the tournament. The NCAA and the committee regret that student-athletes and VCU coaching staff will not be able to play. in a tournament in which they won the right to participate. Due to privacy issues, we are unable to provide further details. “
Oregon will play the winner of Saturday night’s game between No. 2 Iowa and No. 15 Grand Canyon.
The cancellation marks a bitter end for VCU after the Rams toured the NCAA as a general team after a 19-7 season.
A source said Matt Norlander of CBS Sports that the positive tests appeared in the VCU program on Wednesday evening, Friday evening and Saturday morning. These positive tests prompted Indiana and NCAA health officials to decide to allow VCU to move on with the game being too risky, according to Norlander.
Although NCAA officials previously said that a team could compete with only five players, officials determined in this case that the VCU situation could “seem to be spreading,” Norlander reported.
No contest means at least four of the five Pac-12 teams that made the 68-yard field will play in the second round. Oregon State, Colorado and USC each won games in the first round. UCLA plays Saturday night in a 6th-place BYU game Saturday night in a first-round game after the Bruins won the First Four on Thursday night.
VCU and St. Bonaventure were the two Atlantic 10 teams in the 68 field, but both were eliminated on Saturday, with Bonnie number 9, falling to LSU. Unfortunately, Rams never got a chance on the field.
“This is extremely disappointing and heartbreaking for the student-athletes who have worked so hard for this opportunity,” Atlantic 10 Commissioner Bernadette McGlade said in a statement. “During this pandemic, medical advisory boards have the authority to make this decision for the safety and well-being of all student-athletes, staff and teams. VCU has had a remarkable year, and this obstacle does not diminish any of their achievements.”