VCU Removed From NCAA Tournament

Today, via a Zoom presser, VCU 's athletic director, Ed McLaughlin, said he received a phone call from the NCAA's Dan Gavitt at 6:20-to-6:25 p.m. During that difficult conversation McLaughlin learned the VCU Rams' basketball game with the Oregon Ducks, scheduled for 9:57 p.m., had been declared, “no contest." 

Thus, due to some number of positive COVID-19 tests, the Rams participation in the NCAA tournament was kaput less than four hours before its tipoff. 

Earlier in the day VCU had learned it had players (no names, no numbers) who had tested positive for COVID-19. Still, the coaches and the team had hoped to play, since they had enough players who weren't testing positive. 

Apparently the NCAA made the decision based on what the Marion County's health department advised. McLaughlin offered no theories to explain the players' exposures. “This isn't something where the team broke protocol,” he said.

The Rams head coach, Mike Rhoades said upon getting the word from McLaughlin he assembled his players in the hall of the 16th floor of the hotel to break the news. 

“There were no dry eyes,” said Rhoades. Then he continued, “A lot of people have it worse than this. Last year I had to talk to Justin Tillman (a VCU star player 2014-18), when he had just lost both of his parents. That was tougher than this.”

Later, Rhoades chuckled just slightly, or maybe it was a sigh, when he mentioned that after the disappointing loss to St. Bonaventure on Sunday in the Atlantic 10 championship game, his team had enjoyed a good week of practices in Indianapolis. 

"There's no one to blame," said Rhoades stoically. 

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 Update: More on this story from CBS Sports.