GREENSBORO, NC (AP) – Duke arrived at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament hoping to make an unprecedented run to extend his lengthy NCAA Tournament streak.
Instead, the Blue Devils had to abruptly withdraw from the tournament and end the season due to a positive COVID-19 test and the resulting quarantine and contact tracking.
The ACC announced that the quarterfinals of the Blue Devils have been canceled against No. 15 Florida State on Thursday evening. And athletics director Kevin White said Duke’s season is over, ending the Blue Devils’ streak of 24 consecutive NCAA appearances that began in 1996.
In a statement, White said the positive test for someone in the program came after Wednesday’s win against Louisville, the Blue Devils’ second win in as many days in Greensboro. Before that, there had been no positive tests for a player or coach all season, he said.
“Since last March, when the pandemic started, we have listened to our medical experts and have always put safety first in all competitive decisions,” said White. “As a result, our 2020-21 season comes to an end. We wish every team still playing college basketball good health and all the best in the coming weeks. “
The Blue Devils (11-13, 9-9 ACC) fell short of their lofty standards, but Coach Mike Krzyzewski said he loved this young team and was honored to coach it.
“We have not asked for more of a team in our history and they deserve immense credit for treating everything like the excellent young men they are,” Krzyzewski said in a statement. “I feel deeply for our players, who have done a great job all season taking care of each other and the team.
“I am extremely proud of their collective attitude and effort, which could not have been stronger.”
With Duke withdrawing, the Seminoles advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament to play against the winner of North Carolina-Virginia Tech.
“I just think throughout the year we try to prepare ourselves for the unexpected,” said FSU coach Leonard Hamilton. “It’s a shame we can’t play this game today. But we have to deal with it in a mature way and just be happy that no one is in danger. “
In addition, Louisville released a statement on Thursday saying the tests were negative after the Duke game and expected no concerns about tracking down contacts.
“Our group is tested daily and on a path to have the required consecutive days of negative testing to enter the NCAA tournament,” said the school.
With Duke’s season over, this marks the first time since 1976 that both the Blue Devils and another basketball blueblood – Kentucky – will not be in the NCAAs. The Wildcats have lost their Southeastern Conference Tournament opener to the state of Mississippi on Thursday, securing that program’s first losing season since 1988-89.
Duke had not missed the NCAA tournament since the 1994-95 season when Krzyzewski retired from coaching after complications from back surgery. Assistant Pete Gaudet took over, and that team finished 13-18 a year after Duke played in the NCAA title game.
Before that, Krzyzewski had only missed the tournament at Duke in his first three seasons, as he went a combined 38-47 and got the mounting pressure to turn things around as Triangle neighbors North Carolina (1982) and North Carolina State (1983) both won. NCAA championships.
The first tournament bid came in 1984 and Duke won 37 games while reaching an NCAA final two years later. That was the first in a remarkable series of seven Final Fours in nine years, including championships in 1991 and 1992. Krzyzewski’s teams took three more titles in 2001, 2010 and 2015.
This year started with some of the same expectations despite a young squad that didn’t have the same NBA talent of years past with names like Zion Williamson and Jayson Tatum.
The Blue Devils started the year at number 9 in the AP Top 25, but were dropped from the rankings for the first time in nearly five years in mid-January. They missed the typical rowdy home field lead in a fanless Cameron Indoor Stadium and saw freshman Jalen Johnson leave the team. in February in preparation for the NBA draft.
After a one-sided loss at rival North Carolina, the Blue Devils knew they probably needed to win the ACC tournament to extend the NCAA streak, even though no team has won five games in five days at the tournament. They started with a lopsided win against Boston College, then defeated Louisville in Wednesday’s quarter-finals after losing both regular season rallies.
All the while, Krzyzewski said he focused more on developing a young group than on past successes.
“This will pay off at some point if you stick with it,” Krzyzewski said after losing to Notre Dame in February. “It did it in ’82 and ’83, it did in ’95 -96, and it did it in 2006. There are times in our program that you learned to appreciate that you won at such a high level and how difficult it was. is to lose. .
“And we as a program must continue to learn and appreciate what it takes to win. You don’t do that by not working hard or trying to get better. And that’s what we’re going to do. “
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