Tournament will go on without blue bloods
Kentucky’s loss, Duke’s positive test leave both out for first time since ’76
Kentucky’s season ended with a missed last-second shot in the SEC tournament.
But things began spiraling downward for the Wildcats long before Thursday’s disappointing 74- 73 setback against Mississippi State that sealed their fate: No NCAA tournament this year.
When the Bulldogs’ Iverson Molinar made two free throws with seven seconds left, it assured the Wildcats (916) will miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2013 and just the second in John Calipari’s 12-year tenure in Lexington.
With Duke withdrawing from the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament due to a positive COVID test, it will be the first time since 1976 that both the Blue Devils and Kentucky will not be in the NCAAs.
“I’ve never lost this many games in my life in basketball consecutively like this,” Kentucky guard Davion Mintz said. “I know other guys on this roster haven’t, either. But now you know how it feels. You don’t want to climb back into that hole. You don’t want that pain to come back.”
Duke
The Blue Devils arrived at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament hoping to make an unprecedented run to extend its long NCAA Tournament streak. Instead, the Blue Devils (13-11, 9-9 ACC) abruptly had to pull out of the tournament and end its season due to a positive COVID-19 test and the resulting quarantining and contact tracing. The ACC announced that the Blue Devils’ quarterfinal game against No. 15
Florida State for Thursday night had been canceled. And athletics director Kevin White said Duke’s season is over, ending the Blue Devils’ streak of 24 consecutive NCAA appearances that began in 1996.
Pitt
Sophomore guard/ forward Gerald Drumgoole entered the NCAA transfer portal. Last season, Drumgoole averaged 1.9 points in 5.3 minutes per game for the Panthers. He was coach Jeff Capel’s first commitment of the 2019 recruiting class and arrived with a great deal of promise. A four-star prospect, he ranked among the top 125 players in his class.
Georgetown
COVID protocols have made it difficult for even exNew York Knick great Patrick Ewing to move freely inside Madison Square Garden during the Big East tournament. He said he would have to ask Knicks owner James Dolan about the frequent stops to check his credentials. “Everybody in this building should know who the hell I am,” Ewing said. “I was like, what the hell? Is this Madison Square Garden? I’m going to have to call Mr, Dolan and say, ‘Jeez, is my number in the rafters or what?’”