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covid 19 in basketball – Pandemic Policies
Two days before Selection Sunday, and exactly a week before the first round of the 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament tips off, the defending national champion and a perennial Final Four contender are both in COVID-19 limbo.
Virginia, the ACC regular-season champ, and a potential top-four seed in the NCAA tournament, learned of a positive COVID test within its program on Friday. Its ACC semifinal against Georgia Tech was subsequently canceled.
Hours later, Kansas pulled out of the Big 12 tournament due to a positive test of its own. The Jayhawks are also expected to receive a high seed.
What the positive tests mean for the two teams’ March Madness participation, however, remains very much up in the air.
“Virginia’s status for the NCAA tournament is to be determined,” the program said in a release early Friday afternoon.
Kansas sounded a bit more optimistic. “I look forward to preparing my team in probably a unique way for next week’s NCAA Tournament,” head coach Bill Self said in a statement.
Will Virginia, Kansas be able to play in NCAA tournament?
The short answer: As of Friday afternoon, nobody has ruled Virginia or Kansas out of the NCAA tournament, and nothing in the NCAA’s rules precludes them from playing – yet.
The individuals who tested positive are reportedly rotation players for their respective teams. NCAA rules stipulate that those players will miss at least 10 days, meaning they’d miss at least the opening weekend of March Madness. They’d potentially be able to return if their teams reach the Sweet 16.
The trickier questions pertain to contact tracing, and to whether the rest of the Cavs and Jayhawks will be able to compete without their infected teammates.
Virginia guard Reece Beekman (2) is swarmed by teammates after sinking the winning shot during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Syracuse in the quarterfinal round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Thursday, March 11, 2021. Virginia Won the game 72-69.
Virginia beat Syracuse on a buzzer beater in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament, but it won’t get to play in the semis due to a positive COVID-19 test.
What are the NCAA tournament COVID quarantine protocols?
The NCAA’s most basic rule is that any member of a team’s travel party must test negative seven days in a row before participating in the tournament. As of now, the rest of Virginia’s and Kansas’ players and coaches are on track to meet that requirement.
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