Oregon Advances After Game With VCU Canceled Due to COVID-19 Protocols

UPDATE (5:15 p.m.): Comments from VCU AD Ed McLaughlin:

#VCU athletics director Ed McLaughlin: “We knew about the positives being confirmed today and we were hoping through contact tracing that we would still be able to play tonight, but obviously that did not happen.”

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) March 21, 2021

VCU’s Ed McLaughlin: “This isn’t something where our team broke protocol and did the wrong thing. We don’t know how this happened, but it certainly wasn’t bad behavior on our side. It’s brutal.”

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) March 21, 2021

#VCU had enough players who hadn’t tested positive to play. So why was game declared no-contest? AD Ed McLaughlin: “What we have come to understand with it is the multiple positives within that 48-hour window was what gave the health department folks cause for concern.”

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) March 21, 2021

ORIGINAL (4:26 p.m.): Oregon will advance to the Round of 32 after the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee declared the Ducks Friday night game with VCU was declared a no-contest.

Stadium’s Jeff Goodman reported that VCU saw multiple positive tests show up recently.

VCU had multiple positive tests in the last 48 hours, sources told @stadium. Local health department and NCAA made decision to cancel the game. https://t.co/RS18b0fxfg

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 20, 2021

However, the only official reason given was “because of COVID-19 protocols,” but no specific details were revealed in the NCAA’s statement (below).

“The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee has declared the VCU-Oregon game scheduled for Saturday night at Indiana Farmers Coliseum a no-contest because of COVID-19 protocols. This decision was made in consultation with the Marion County Public Health Department. As a result, Oregon will advance to the next round of the tournament. 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. Because of privacy issues we cannot provide further details.” – NCAA.org

The Ducks will face the winner of No. 15 Grand Canyon and No. 2 Iowa.

Follow 750 The Game on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.