NCAA tournament: COVID-19 protocols oust VCU
INDIANAPOLIS — VCU has been pulled from the NCAA men’s basketball tournament because of COVID-19 protocols.
The NCAA says the 10th-seeded Rams’ first-round game Saturday against Oregon was declared a no-contest. The seventh-seeded Ducks will advance to the second round without playing.
The announcement came a little more than three hours before the teams were set to play in the West Region. The NCAA didn’t offer specific details, citing privacy concerns, and said that the decision came after consultation with the Marion County Public Health Department.
“The NCAA and the committee regret that VCU’s student-athletes and coaching staff will not be able to play in a tournament in which they earned the right to participate,” the statement read.
Saturday’s first round games whittled the field in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament to 32 teams. Here’s a roundup of the day’s action.
