Virginia out of ACC tournament with positive test, leaving NCAA tournament future unclear

“I’m hurting for our players, especially our seniors,” Virginia Coach Tony Bennett said in the statement. “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.”

The NCAA tournament begins in earnest with first-round games Friday and Saturday, which presumably would be the earliest the Cavaliers next could face an opponent. During a pause earlier this season, however, Virginia did not play for 10 days, per university-issued safety precautions.

Teams are required to notify the NCAA by Saturday at 11 p.m. if they are unable to meet tournament safety protocols. Additionally, schools must have at least five eligible players to participate, according to NCAA stipulations.

It’s unclear if a player or other Tier 1 team member tested positive, although CBS Sports reported it was a player who participated in Virginia’s win over Syracuse on Thursday.

The Cavaliers finished first in the ACC during the regular season and are certain to receive an at-large invitation to the NCAA tournament, assuming they are able to play.

Duke encountered a similar situation, announcing Thursday morning before its quarterfinal game it had a positive test within the program that would end its season. The Blue Devils, however, were considered at best a long shot to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

Kansas was removed from the Big 12 tournament semifinals Friday after a positive test in its program. The Jayhawks are a projected NCAA tournament team.

“It is unfortunate the ACC tournament has concluded for us, but we have turned our attention to the NCAA tournament,” Virginia Athletic Director Carla Williams said in a statement. “We are in communication with the appropriate officials regarding our participation.”

It was Virginia’s third consecutive win after a three-game skid had dealt a blow to its chances of a third ACC regular season title in four years and fifth in eight until Florida State, then in first place, suffered an upset loss to Notre Dame, 83-73, on the final day of the regular season.

Several hours later, the Cavaliers beat Louisville, 68-58, at the Yum Center to secure first place by virtue of overall ACC winning percentage with unbalanced schedules throughout the conference. Virginia went 13-4 in the ACC.

The announcement of Virginia’s positive test initiated contact tracing protocols and came a little more than a full year after the Cavaliers were unable to play a game in the ACC tournament last season before it was canceled during the first wave of the pandemic. Virginia is the last team to win the national championship after taking the title in 2019. The 2020 NCAA tournament was canceled.

“This is incredibly disappointing for our players,” Williams said. “They have done what has been asked of them in very challenging circumstances.”

The Cavaliers went two weeks between games during a virus-related pause early this season. They were scheduled to face visiting Michigan State in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge Dec. 9 but reported a positive test within the program the day before, forcing the game to be canceled after the Spartans already had arrived in Charlottesville.

Games against Wake Forest Dec. 16 and Villanova Dec. 19, which was set for prime time at Madison Square Garden, also were scrapped. Virginia did not play again until Dec. 22, when it beat William & Mary, 76-40, at John Paul Jones Arena.

Several players have missed games this season while in contact tracing, including sophomore guard Casey Morsell (St. John’s High School) and senior guard Tomas Woldetensae. Morsell is one of the Cavaliers’ better defenders, and Woldetensae is third on the Cavaliers in three-point field goal percentage (42.6).