While all of us were hoping to see the Kentucky Wildcats make a miracle run in the SEC Tournament, the fact of the matter is conference tournaments should not have happened this season.
At least, not when the NCAA Tournament begins just a week after they conclude, which means anyone who gets dinged by COVID-19 during their league tournaments could also end up missing the Big Dance as well.
We’ve already seen the Duke Blue Devils forced to drop out of the ACC Tournament and effectively have their season end.
Another ACC team, the Virginia Cavaliers, was hit by COVID and also forced to exit the tournament today, putting them a risk of being kept out of the Big Dance as well.
Now, the Kansas Jayhawks have been knocked out of the Big 12 Tournament, which is due to a positive COVID-19 test from a player who allegedly played in Thursday’s win over the Oklahoma Sooners.
BREAKING—Kansas has a player who’s tested positive for COVID and has been removed from the Big 12 Tournament, sources tell @CBSSports. Jayhawks were supposed to play Texas tonight in the semis.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 12, 2021
KU kept two players home due to COVID protocols, prior to leaving for Kansas City.
Oh, and for those of you keeping track, Kentucky is just five wins ahead of Kansas in the all-time wins race. So this news likely means the Jayhawks won’t jump ahead this year, as they first must be allowed in the NCAA Tournament.
Then, they’d have to win the national championship — which takes six wins — to pass Kentucky, who should hold on to the record heading into the 2021-22 season.
But more importantly, here’s to hoping the player(s) involved will fully recovery and not have any long-term affects as a result of the virus.