Report: Kansas and Virginia Will Attempt to Play in NCAA Tournament

There was some concern about teams like Kansas and Virginia being able to suit up for the NCAA tournament, but ESPN’s Mark Schlabach reports that both teams will attempt to play. Both teams were forced to withdraw from their conference tournaments due to COVID-19 testing — along with Duke, who was not selected for the tournament — but neither team told the NCAA that they would not be able to meet required testing protocols. Both teams will need to show seven consecutive days of negative daily testing before arriving in Indianapolis to be eligible to play. They then must continue to test negative while inside the controlled environment.

If any team that has been selected for the tournament notifies the NCAA before Tuesday at 6 p.m. that they will not be able to meet the testing requirements, they will be replaced by one of the teams designated as the “first four out” by the selection committee.

Gonzaga enters the tournament as the favorites to win — they’re currently listed at +200 on FanDuel Sportsbook — with Baylor (+500), Illinois (+600), and Michigan (+750) not far behind.