INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The VCU Men’s Basketball team will not participate in the 2021 NCAA Basketball Tournament due to COVID-19 protocols. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee has declared Saturday’s scheduled first round game in Indianapolis between the Rams and Oregon a no contest.
“With the utmost disappointment, our men’s basketball program will head home from the NCAA Tournament,” said Ed McLaughlin, Vice President and Director of Athletics. “We are heartbroken for our student-athletes, coaches, campus community and fans. Our team earned the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament. The members of our program did an excellent job following COVID-19 protocols all year, including since we arrived in Indianapolis, so ending our season in this manner hurts even more.”
“We’ve been tested every day for the past three weeks, but within the past 48 hours we’ve received multiple positive tests. 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,” said VCU Head Coach Mike Rhoades.
The Rams earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament following a 19-7 campaign in which they reached the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship Game for the sixth time since 2012-13. VCU was appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the 18th time in school history and the 12th since 2004.
VCU follows Atlantic 10 Conference, University and Virginia Department of Health guidelines to prioritize the safety of student-athletes, coaches and staff as well as the VCU community.
VCU AD Ed McLaughlin and MBB head coach Mike Rhoades spoke tonight following their elimination from the NCAA Tournament.
A few important items from that conversation:
-Ed McLaughlin made it clear that this was not a case of anybody breaking protocol. "I'm shaking my head. We did all the right things."
-VCU did have the amount of players per the NCAA (5) however because of the frequency in positive tests over the small window of hours it gave local health officials, the decision was made by the local health department, the county officials, and NCAA.
-Mike Rhoades told the team following the postgame meal as they were still in a holding pattern.
-McLaughlin would not speculate when asked about NCAA official Roger Ayers who was an official in the A-10 Championship game who was one of 6 officials sent home for protocol violations earlier in the week when dining with other officials, one of whom tested positive.
-VCU's plan is to return the traveling party who has tested negative home by air travel tonight and those positive cases by car.
-Mike Rhoades had incredible perspective saying that while it was "devastating" and "heartbreaking" he said this virus has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and said that "there are a lot of people who have had it a lot worse than us. It just stinks."