The Missouri Valley tournament quarterfinals on Friday night between northern Iowa and Drake were canceled due to the positive COVID-19 test and subsequent contract tracking within the UNI program, and Drake will advance to Saturday’s semifinals, the league announced. The game was set to be the third of four for the day played at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, as the league moves to crown a champion – and an automatic qualification from the NCAA Tournament – on Sunday at CBS.
“UNI and other institutions ultimately trusted the Conference policies that have been in place for the entire season and were considered applicable here at the tournament,” said Missouri Valley Conference Commissioner Doug Elgin in a statement. “It should be noted that UNI followed these procedures during its participation in the event. However, COVID orders from the City of St. Louis Department of Health take precedence over MVC protocols, and none of our institutions were aware of that it was in place. In all previous communications we had with local St. Louis health officials, we clearly indicated that the MVC adhered to the CDC guidelines and the NCAA Resocialization Guidelines.
“The MVC did not have the necessary conversations with the local health authorities to clarify that the administration of the tournament would be governed by the orders of COVID from the Commissioner of Health of St. Louis. I apologize and assume full responsibility for not resolving the administration of the policies that are in effect during this year’s tournament. “
In addition to the revenue it generates, this conference tournament is particularly important for MVC, because Drake and Loyola Chicago are in the bubble of the NCAA tournament, according to Jerry Palm’s Bracketology. In the most advantageous of circumstances for the conference, both teams could guarantee free throws and another team could win the league title to give the MVC three moves from the NCAA Tournament. However, both Loyola Chicago and Drake entered Friday as seeds projected in 12th place for Big Dance with Drake considered one of Jerry Palm’s “last four”, which means that the MVC could also be a league of just one bid, depending on how things shake.
Given Drake and Loyola Chicago’s tenuous résumés, neither is in a good position to withdraw from the tournament as a precaution for COVID-19 and rest on the laurels of their current résumé. But with the event taking place in a single arena, there will obviously be concerns about the virus gaining ground in a way that could impair a program’s ability to continue with this postseason. In the semifinals, Drake will face the winner of the final quarterfinals scheduled for Friday night between Valparaíso and the state of Missouri.