COVID-19 ends disappointing Duke season
Duke arrived at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament hoping to make an unprecedented run to extend its long NCAA Tournament streak.
Instead, the Blue Devils 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 was canceled. And AD Kevin White said Duke’s season is over, ending the Blue Devils’ streak of 24 consecutive NCAA appearances that began in 1996.
In a statement, White said the positive test for someone within the program came after Wednesday’swinagainstLouisville,theBlueDevils’second win in as many days in Greensboro, N.C. Before this, there had been no positive tests all season for a player or coach, he said.
The Blue Devils failed to live up to their lofty standards this season, finishing 13-11 overall.
With Duke’s season over, this will mark the first time since 1976 that both the Blue Devils and another basketball blueblood — Kentucky — won’t be in the NCAAs. The Wildcats lost their SEC Tournament opener to Mississippi State on Thursday, ensuring that program’s first losing season since 1988-89.
Hoyas upset ’Nova: Patrick Ewing and Georgetown are making some noise at Madison Square Garden again.
It has been a while.
The Hoyas are back in the Big East Tournament semifinals for the first time in six years, with the former Georgetown and Knicks star leading the way.
Dante Harris made two free throws with 4.7 seconds left to cap a perfect game from the line for Georgetown, and the Hoyas upset No. 14 Villanova 72-71 in the quarterfinals Thursday in New York.
The eighth-seeded Hoyas (11-12) will play fifthseeded Seton Hall on Friday night. Georgetown last reached the Big East semifinals in 2015. The Hoyas haven’t won the tournament since 2007.
“We took another step — in my house, by the way. This is my house,” Ewing, a Hall of Famer center for the Knicks, said. “It’s a great win. Huge win.”
The top-seeded Wildcats (16-6) were without injured co-conference player of the year Collin Gillespie, who’s likely out for the rest of the season.
Baylor avoids shocker: MaCio Teague scored 24 points, Davion Mitchell added 23 and No. 2 Baylor held on to beat Kansas State 74-68 on Thursday and avoid what would have been one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Big 12 Tournament.
The top-seeded Bears (22-1) rolled into T-Mobile Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, after their first regular-season conference title since 1950, three straight wins over ranked teams and with a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament nearly locked up.
Yet the Wildcats (9-20), who lost their two regular-season games to Baylor by an average of 40 points, never allowed the high-powered Bears to slip away.
Still, Baylor held on and earned a semifinal date with No. 12 Oklahoma State, which edged No. 10 West Virginia 72-69.
Layups: Reece Beekman hit a 3 as time expired to lift No. 16 Virginia over Syracuse 72-69 and into the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. The top-seeded Cavaliers (18-6) trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half as they struggled to contain Orange guard Buddy Boeheim, who finished with a career-high 31 points. Virginia next faces Georgia Tech . ... Duane Washington Jr. and Justice Sueing each scored 16 points and No. 9 Ohio State held off a late charge to beat Minnesota 79-75 at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. The Buckeyes (19-8) snapped a fourgame losing streak.