rbg
Postdoc
Posts: 3066
Reg: 10-20-14
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03-20-21 11:34 PM - Post#322339
In response to mrjames
https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/21/vc u-covid-ou...
- There has been some rumination about a possible path that leads back to the Atlantic 10 tournament in Dayton—and maybe even a tangent to the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Greensboro. But nothing is remotely certain.
Concerns were raised by some sources about the Dayton Marriott as a source of VCU’s issues. That’s where the A-10 teams and officials were staying. One of the officials who worked the A-10 title game against St. Bonaventure was Roger Ayers, who since has tested positive and missed the men's NCAA tournament.
Prior to coming to town to work that game, Ayers also worked two games in the ACC tourney—on Wednesday March 16 he did Louisville–Duke, and the Blue Devils tested out of the tourney the following day. On Thursday, March 17 he did Miami–Georgia Tech, and Yellow Jackets big man Moses Wright subsequently tested positive and missed the NCAA tourney. (Virginia also had to drop out of the ACC tourney due to COVID-19 issues, and the Cavaliers barely made it to Indy for this tourney. They arrived Friday afternoon, practiced once Saturday morning and played Saturday night—whereupon they were bounced by Ohio.)
Dugas said “there’s no way to responsibly connect†all the basketball positive tests. “There’s too many other opportunities for infection,†he added. "So many other variables.†Nobody is saying Ayers—or a Duke player or whoever—is Patient Zero of this college basketball situation.
However, some of the sport's officials privately are wondering about the NCAA’s handling of the refs who are and aren’t working this tournament. Five of them who had dinner with Ayers were removed from the tournament by contact tracing, but the two who worked that A-10 final with him have been allowed to officiate here: Bert Smith and Brent Hampton. Smith officiated the Loyola Chicago–Georgia Tech game Friday and USC–Drake Saturday; Hampton worked the North Texas–Purdue game Friday. -
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