Duke’s run in the conference’s post-season series came to an end after the Blue Devils program had a positive COVID-19 test on Thursday before announcing the conference against Florida on Thursday. The positive test involves a player who did not play Louisville in the second round of the ACC tournament on Wednesday, a source told Matt Norlander, CBS Sports.
The development forces Duke to withdraw from the ACC tournament and end his season effectively.
Duke (13-11, 9-9 ACC) watched the NCAA Tournament Series in Jerry Palm’s latest Bracketology before the news. It probably had to win the league’s post-season tournament to pass a ticket to the Big Dance, or at least need a win over the Seminoles to make their bubble case more interesting.
The Blue Devils have had several disruptions in their schedule related to the pandemic this season – and made news by canceling part of their non-conference page – but no one was nearly as consequent. This is the first time the program has touched the first positive COVID test among Level 1 staff this season.
Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski openly questions the reasoning for playing last season amid the worsening pandemic, which came in handy before Duke’s hope for the tournament was left for dead.
“We’re just plowing through this,” he said via ESPN.com, noting in December.
“People say the next six weeks are going to be the worst,” he added. “For me it’s already pretty bad. On the other hand, there are these vaccines that are coming out. By the end of the month, 20 million vaccine shots will be given. By the end of January or in February, another 100 will be given. “Shouldn’t we re-evaluate it? Just look what would be best?”
With Duke forced out of the ACC Tournament and his hopes of the NCAA Tournament now fading, his series of 24 consecutive games in March Madness will soon formally come to an end. This will make it the second-longest active series in university basketball and the third-longest series in the history of the university leagues.