The deadline for teams to be replaced in the NCAA Tournament passed without incident: The field of 68 is set, with only Virginia not yet settled in Indiana.
The NCAA had selected the first four teams outside the field to be on standby just in case one of the teams selected had to withdraw because of COVID-19 issues. Louisville was the first team on deck, then Colorado State, Saint Louis and Mississippi.
The deadline for a replacement team to be called up to Indianapolis was 6 p.m. EDT Tuesday. If any team has to withdraw after this point, the game will be a no contest and their opponent will advance in the bracket.
Virginia is still on campus after most of its players ended up in quarantine after one individual tested positive for COVID-19 last week. That forced the Cavaliers to withdraw from the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
Because Virginia’s players and coaches can still complete seven days of negative tests before arriving in Indianapolis, they will be allowed to arrive late for Saturday night’s first-round game against 13th-seeded Ohio.
NCAA senior vice president for basketball Dan Gavitt said Wednesday that Virginia is expected to arrive early Friday. The fourth-seeded Cavaliers will still have to be tested twice and quarantine until both tests are returned negative. Gavitt said he believe Virginia will have the opportunity to get a practice in before they play.