Virus bounces VCU from tourney
INDIANAPOLIS » VCU was pulled from the NCAA Tournament on Saturday after what the school said were “multiple” positive COVID-19 tests within the past two days, ending the Rams’ run in college basketball’s annual showcase before it began.
Last year’s entire tournament was called off because of the pandemic, and the NCAA moved this year’s event to Indiana and put teams in what it called a “controlled environment.” But those steps weren’t enough to ensure every game would be played.
The 10th-seeded Rams’ first-round game Saturday against Oregon was declared a no-contest, the NCAA said, sending the seventh-seeded Ducks into the second round without playing.
“We’ve been tested every day for the past three weeks, but within the past 48 hours we’ve received multiple positive tests,” VCU coach Mike Rhoades said in a statement. “We are devastated for our players and coaches. It has been a dream for all of us to play in the NCAA Tournament.
“We appreciate the care of our doctors and administration this year, and all our efforts and attention will be put into our players at this time.”
The announcement from the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee came a little more than three hours before the teams were set to play in the West Region. It 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.
VCU was in the field for the ninth time in 10 tournaments. The Rams made it to the Final Four in 2011 as an 11 seed.
East Regional
MICHIGAN 82, TEXAS SOUTHERN 66 » Juwan Howard won his first NCAA Tournament game since taking over at Michigan, guiding Mike Smith and the top-seeded Wolverines (21-4) to a victory over Texas Southern (17-9).
Smith scored 18 points and Hunter Dickinson added 16 as Michigan rolled into the second round without Isaiah Livers, who is out with a foot injury. Eli Brooks and Brandon Johns Jr. had 11 points apiece.
LSU 76, ST. BONAVENTURE 61 » Freshman Cameron Thomas scored 27 points in another impressive performance and his LSU (199) teammates provided the rebounding muscle, leading the eighth-seeded Tigers past St. Bonaventure (16-5). COLORADO 96, GEORGETOWN 73 » Colorado (23-8) used an early 3-point barrage to parlay its highest seeding ever into a win over Georgetown (13-13) and coach Patrick Ewing.
Led by freshman Jabari Walker’s 5-for-5 shooting clinic from 3-point range, the fifth-seeded Buffs made 16 3-pointers and shot 64% from long range.
Georgetown won four games in four days earlier this month to take the Big East Tournament title and make a surprise trip to the NCAA Tournament. Qudus Wahab led Georgetown with 20 points.
FLORIDA STATE 64, UNC GREENSBORO 54 >> RaiQuan Gray scored 17 points and Florida State began what it hopes will be another deep run under coach Leonard Hamilton, holding off 13th-seeded UNC Greensboro (21-9).
ALABAMA 68, IONA 55 » Herb Jones scored 20 points and second-seeded Alabama (256) pried open a tight game to beat coach Rick Pitino’s underdogs from Iona (12-6).
Jones had a steal and layup that highlighted an 11-0 run and gave Alabama breathing room at 54-46 after the teams seesawed with the lead through much of the second half.
West Regional
CREIGHTON 63, UC SANTA BARBARA 62 » Christian Bishop made both ends of a one-and-one with 16 seconds left to give fifth-seeded Creighton (21-8) the lead, and the Bluejays hung on to beat UC Santa Barbara (22-5).
Creighton’s turbulent season, which included a onegame suspension for coach Greg McDermott after he made a racially insensitive remark in the locker room, continues Monday when the Bluejays face Ohio. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 72, DRAKE 56 » Evan Mobley had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 6 seed Southern California (23-7) used smothering defense to beat Drake (26-5).
KANSAS 93, EASTERN WASHINGTON 84 » David McCormack returned from his COVID-19-caused hiatus just in time to rescue No. 3 seed Kansas (21-8), piling up 22 points and nine rebounds as the slow-starting Jayhawks rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to beat Eastern Washington (16-8).
OHIO 62, VIRGINIA 58 » Virginia’s unusual title defense ended with another upset loss in the NCAA Tournament, falling to Jason Preston and Ohio (17-7).
Some familiar problems showed up again for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers, who struggled to score during a key stretch in the second half and shot 35 percent from the field for the game. Virginia became the first No. 1 seed to drop its opening game in the NCAA Tournament when it lost to UMBC in 2018, but it used the setback as motivation in its run to the championship in 2019.