Wild things continue to happen at the ACC Tournament in terms of Covid.
One day after Duke was forced out of the tournament by a positive Covid test, top seed Virginia is now out also.
The ACC announced Friday that the Georgia Tech vs. Virginia semifinal game has been canceled following a positive test, subsequent quarantining, and contact tracing within the Virginia men’s basketball program.
The team is adhering to the outlined protocols within the ACC Medical Advisory Group report, which is available on theACC.com (full report), the league said.
With the cancellation Georgia Tech advances to the ACC Tournament championship game and will play the winner of tonight’s Florida State vs. North Carolina game that will now tip at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.
“I’m heartbroken for our student-athletes, coaches and support staff at both Duke and Virginia,” ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said. “Our teams have worked incredibly hard and sacrificed so much throughout this season. We continue to be led by our ACC Medical Advisory Group and the protocols put in place that have allowed our teams to safely compete during the 2020-21 season. We will follow the lead of our medical personnel to ensure the health and safety of our programs remain the top priority. Our student-athletes and schools have been remarkable this entire season while enduring incredibly challenging circumstances.”
Virginia, which won the NCAA Tournament in 2019, is projected as a 4 seed this year by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.
Their status for the NCAAs will likely depend on how other Tier-1 members of the team test in the coming days. If they can field a team of at least five they are eligible for the NCAAs.
Lunardi said Creighton would replace Virginia as the last 4 seed if the Cavaliers are unable to field a team.
The Cavaliers were coming off a thrilling 72-69 win over Syracuse on Thursday in which freshman Reece Beekman hit a game-deciding three-pointer at the buzzer.
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