Teams that were affected by COVID-19 this past week haven’t told the NCAA that they will not participate in the NCAA tournament if chosen by the selection committee, ESPN has learned.
Those teams include Duke, Kansas and Virginia, which were forced to withdraw from their respective conference tournaments last week because of positive coronavirus tests and contact tracing.
Several schools and conferences communicated with the NCAA leading up to Saturday’s 11 p.m. ET deadline to withdraw from consideration for the tournament, the sources told ESPN, but no teams indicated they wouldn’t be able to meet the required medical/testing protocols.
The selection committee will announce the 68-team bracket at 6 p.m. ET Sunday.
Any team that is selected and then notifies the NCAA before 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday that it can’t meet the medical/testing protocol will be replaced with another team selected by the committee, which will have a predetermined list of the first four teams out.
Sources told ESPN’s Rece Davis on Saturday that Duke would be able to play in the NCAA tournament if selected.
The Blue Devils withdrew from the ACC tournament Thursday after a positive COVID-19 test within the program. At the time, athletic director Kevin White said in a statement that the cancellation of the conference tournament quarterfinal game “will end our 2020-21 season,” ending Duke’s streak of 24 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.
The Blue Devils (13-11, 9-9 ACC), who won their first two games in the conference tournament, entered the week knowing that they likely needed to win the ACC tournament to extend the NCAA streak dating back to 1996.
To play in the NCAA tournament, a team needs to show seven consecutive negative daily tests before arriving in Indianapolis, then undergo daily testing while inside the controlled environment there.
Dan Gavitt, NCAA senior vice president of men’s basketball, has said that a team needs just five healthy players to play in an NCAA tournament game.
