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    Duke Has Positive COVID-19 Test, Won't Play in ACC Tournament vs. FSU

    Rob Goldberg@TheRobGoldbergFeatured ColumnistMarch 11, 2021

    Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski watches the action during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Louisville in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Wednesday, March 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
    Gerry Broome/Associated Press

    The ACC announced the Duke Blue Devils will drop out of the ACC men's basketball tournament and Thursday's quarterfinal game against Florida State has been canceled, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

    Duke released the following statement:

    Duke Men’s Basketball @DukeMBB

    SAD NEWS: We will not continue competing in the 2021 ACC Tournament due to our school’s and conference’s health/safety protocols. The determination was made following the positive COVID-19 test for a member of our program’s Tier 1 personnel after Wednesday’s game.

    Joe Ovies @joeovies

    Statements from K and AD Kevin White re: Duke’s exit from the ACCT due to COVID: https://t.co/o9DAokQNW9

    Jeff Goodman of Stadium first reported Duke received a positive COVID-19 test.

    Florida State will advance to the semifinals to face the winner of Virginia Tech and North Carolina.

    Duke entered the tournament as the No. 10 seed and advanced through the first two rounds with wins over Boston College and Louisville.

    According to Dana O'Neil of The Athletic, the ACC is confident this news won't affect other teams.

    The 13-11 Blue Devils likely needed to win the tournament or at least make a deep run to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament. Only one of 113 projections on Bracket Matrix had Duke making the field as of Wednesday.

    The last time the NCAA tournament took place without the Blue Devils was 1994-95, when the team finished 13-18.

    Duke was forced to adjust its early-season schedule as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, canceling several nonconference games in December after its season opener against Gardner-Webb was postponed because of positive tests.

    Duke Has Positive COVID-19 Test, Won't Play in ACC Tournament vs. FSU
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    There has recently been a spike in cases on Duke's campus with more than 100 new cases since Friday, per Kate Murphy of the News and Observer.

    The 2020 ACC tournament was canceled because of the pandemic, with Florida State awarded the championship as the No. 1 seed. The NCAA tournament was later canceled as well.