Virginia has a ‘glimmer of hope’ of playing in the NCAA Tournament after Covid positive test

By Jerry Ratcliffe

GREENSBORO, N.C. – According to sources, Virginia still has a “glimmer of hope” of playing in next week’s NCAA Tournament.

The Cavaliers withdrew from tonight’s scheduled ACC Tournament semifinal game versus Georgia Tech after a positive test, subsequent quarantining and contact tracing within the UVA basketball program. A source said that the player who tested positive played in Thursday’s quarterfinals win against Syracuse.

Virginia must follow all the contact tracing rules set by the ACC medical advisory staff.

Virginia is exploring all possibilities toward participating in the NCAA Tournament, while still respecting the Covid-19 virus. All schools must notify the NCAA if they can meet medical protocols by 11 p.m. Saturday.

“We went from an exhilarating game-winning shot to beat Syracuse to a gut punch regarding the positive COVID-19 test within our program,” coach Tony 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.”

“This is incredibly disappointing for our players,” UVA Athletics Director Carla Williams said. “They have done what has been asked of them in very challenging circumstances. It is unfortunate the ACC Tournament has concluded for us, but we have turned our attention to the NCAA Tournament. We are in communication with the appropriate officials regarding our participation.”

NCAA senior vice president for basketball Dan Gavitt said this week that teams need only five players to be eligible for the tournament. Surely that is one of the possibilities Virginia is exploring.

Gavitt said if teams “have those five players, they still should have the opportunity to compete rather than be replaced. If they fall below the threshold of five, of ourse they would not be able to play by playing rule, nor by tournament protocols.”