What if the Duke basketball season had instead ended with this latest news?
With a final record of 13-11 overall and 11-9 against ACC opponents, there’s no denying this season’s Duke basketball squad was unworthy of an invite to the NCAA Tournament.
But even if the Blue Devils had managed to sneak in and thereby set themselves up to extend what was the program’s 25-year streak of never missing a Big Dance, it doesn’t look as if they would be in action this week anyway.
No, according to a Wednesday tweet from Bridget Condon of WTVD ABC11 EyewitnessNews, she received word that seven of the Duke roster’s 13 players — not counting Jalen Johnson, who opted off the team in February — have now tested positive for COVID-19.
Not just the Duke basketball players testing positive
A few hours later, Condon reported via another tweet that a coach, an administrator, and a trainer have tested positive as well. Plus, she pointed out that her source said more positive test results could very well come about on Thursday.
Although Condon did not provide any names, she did note that head coach Mike Krzyzewski is not the coach who tested positive.
Condon also confirmed that the entire team remains alone in quarantine. This has apparently been the case ever since its season came to a sudden halt due to a positive test result last Thursday. At that time, the Blue Devils were set to face No. 2 seed Florida State in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals after two impressive wins across the two days prior in Greensboro as a No. 10 seed.
Finally, let’s go back to her initial tweet explaining the slew of positive tests didn’t arise until seven days after the one that effectively ended Duke’s 2020-21 campaign. It seems Condon irked several supporters of Virginia, a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament who is set to begin its repeat bid on Saturday, with this forecast:
“Hard to imagine the same won’t happen with Virginia. Regardless, this is going to be a strange #MarchMadness.”
Well, for those of us Duke basketball fans who are able to stomach watching a Big Dance without Blue Devils, we will just have to wait and see how this all plays out.