BREAKING: Oregon vs. VCU Canceled

The Oregon men's basketball team was prepared to open the tournament Saturday, but that won't happen, as the game vs. No. 10 VCU has been cancelled. In a statement Saturday, the NCAA wrote that the game was cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols within the VCU program.

The decision was made after consulting with the Marion County Public Health Department. CBS Sports' John Rothstein reported that the VCU program received multiple positive tests in the past two days.

The cancellation marks the first in the NCAA Tournament during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ducks will advance to the round of 32 and play the winner of Grand Canyon vs. Iowa.

Oregon Head Coach Dana Altman released a statement following the cancellation.

"During these challenging times, health and safety is the highest priority. We would like to wish the VCU student-athletes and staff all the best, and congratulate them on an outstanding season. We hate to see a team's season end this way after all the hard work these student-athletes have put in. This isn't the way we wanted to advance, but we are excited to be moving on and we will start our preparation for Monday's game."

Atlantic 10 Conference Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade issued a statement following the news.

Atlantic 10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade issued this statement following the NCAA / Marion County Public Health Department decision to prohibit VCU from competing in tonight’s game against Oregon due to COVID-19 issues. pic.twitter.com/llB8qXGDRX
— Atlantic 10 Conference (@atlantic10) March 20, 2021

You can follow us for more coverage by clicking "Follow" on the page's top righthand corner.

Twitter-@DucksDigest and Max Torres @mtorressports

Facebook-@DucksDigest