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Saturday night’s scheduled contest between the No.7 seed from Oregon and No.10 seed VCU in the first round of the 2021 NCAA tournament has been declared without a competition with the Ducks moving to the second round due to problems of COVID-19 within the VCU program. This is the tournament’s first cancellation as the event unfolds with rigorous COVID-19 testing standards.
“The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee declared the VCU-Oregon game scheduled for Saturday night at Indiana Farmers Coliseum as a no-contest due to COVID-19 protocols,” the NCAA said in a statement . This decision was made in consultation with the Marion County Public Health Department. As a result, Oregon will move on to the next round of the tournament. The NCAA and the committee regret that the student-athletes and coaching staff of VCU cannot play. In a tournament they have been granted the right to participate in. Due to privacy concerns, we cannot provide further details. “
Oregon will play the winner of Saturday night’s game between Iowa No.2 and Grand Canyon No.15.
The cancellation marks a bitter end for VCU after the Rams made it to the NCAA tournament as a team overall after a 19-7 season.
A source told CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander that positive tests surfaced within the VCU program on Wednesday evening, Friday evening and Saturday morning. Those positive tests prompted Indiana and NCAA health officials to decide allowing VCU to advance in the game was too risky, according to Norlander.
Although NCAA officials have previously said a team can compete with just five players, officials have determined in this case that the VCU situation could “appear to be spreading,” Norlander reported.
The no-contest means that at least four of the five Pac-12 teams that fielded 68 will play in the second round. Oregon State, Colorado and USC each won the first round matches. UCLA will face the number 6 seed of BYU on Saturday night in a first-round game after the Bruins won in the top four on Thursday night.
“In these tough times, health and safety is the top priority,” Oregon coach said Dana Altman said in a statement. “We wish the student-athletes and staff of VCU the best, and congratulations on a great season. We hate to see a team’s season end like this after all the hard work these student-athletes have put in. That’s not the way we wanted to move forward, but we are excited to move forward and we will start our preparation for Monday’s game. ”
VCU and Saint-Bonaventure were the two Atlantic 10 teams in the 68 field, but both were knocked out on Saturday as the No.9 seed Bonnies fell to LSU. Unfortunately, the Rams never had a chance on the field.
“It 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 committees have the power to make this decision for the safety and well-being of all student-athletes, staff and teams. VCU has had an exceptional year, and this setback does not diminish any of their accomplishments. “
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