Virginia 'Exhausting All Options' to Play in NCAA Tournament After Positive COVID-19 Test
Virginia's men's basketball team will not play in its ACC tournament game against Georgia Tech on Friday night due to a positive COVID-19 test in the Cavaliers' program.
The ACC announced the semifinal game, which was set to tip off at 6:30 p.m., has been canceled.
It is unclear what the positive test means for the defending champion's status for the NCAA tournament. Coach Tony Bennett said in a statement that the team will still pursue participating in the Big Dance.
"We went from an exhilarating game-winning shot to beat Syracuse to a gut punch regarding the positive COVID-19 test within our program," Bennett said. "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."
The Athletic's Dana O'Neil reports that Virginia needs to work through county protocols on contact tracing and quarantining to get approved to go to the NCAA tournament. According to CBS Sports' Matt Norlander, a Cavaliers player who has tested positive for COVID-19 played in Thursday's game vs. Syracuse.
The top-seeded Wahoos advanced to the ACC tournament semifinals after Reece Beekman drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer for a 72–69 win over No. 8 seed Syracuse on Thursday.
Virginia has gone 18–6 this season and 13–4 in ACC play while ranking at No. 16 in the AP's latest top 25 men's basketball poll.
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Friday's news marks the second time in two days that a team has withdrawn from the ACC tournament due to a positive COVID-19 test. On Thursday, Duke dropped out of the tournament following a positive result. As a result, the Blue Devils are expected to miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1995. Duke's 24-season streak is the third-longest in NCAA history, trailing North Carolina (27) and Kansas (30).
With Virginia's cancellation, Georgia Tech advances to the ACC tournament championship game and will play the winner of Friday night's Florida State vs. North Carolina game. ACC senior associate commissioner Paul Brazeau later confirmed that Saturday's title game will take place as scheduled.
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