Given the unwieldy nature of how Virginia was forced to withdraw from the ACC Tournament, it was reasonable to assume that the ways in which this program would need to contort in order to play in the NCAA Tournament were likely to be challenging. So far, that seems to be the case.
Virginia, a 4-seed, will face 13-seed Ohio; the first round matchup is set for Saturday at 7:15 p.m. However, UVA won’t travel up to Indianapolis until Friday, the day before the game. Due to COVID-19 protocols — contact tracing and quarantine — Virginia won’t practice as a team until Thursday.
Virginia doesn't play Ohio until Saturday at 7:15 p.m. The Cavaliers aren't planning to travel to Indianapolis until Friday and won't be able to practice as a team until Thursday due to contact tracing/quarantine.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 15, 2021
Virginia wasn’t able to get together as a team to watch the Selection Sunday announcements.
The UVA player that tested positive after the Syracuse game won’t be able to play vs. Ohio, or in the second round if the Cavaliers advance. While it’s publicly unknown which specific player tested positive for COVID-19, it’s confirmed to be one of the eight players that saw action vs. Syracuse. At the least, UVA will be down a rotation player.
That’s not ideal, although at this point it’s probably just fortunate that everyone is safe and Virginia’s still able to participate in March Madness. This isn’t much time, though, to huddle up as a team in order to get ready for Ohio point guard Jason Preston, one of the top pick-and-roll playmakers in the country.