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UNI disqualified after Valley bumbles COVID protocols

AP PHOTO - A worker sweeps the court after it was announced that the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinal basketball game between Northern Iowa and Drake had been canceled on Friday at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.

ST. LOUIS — The Missouri Valley Conference canceled the third game of Friday’s MVC Tournament slate due to a positive COVID-19 test result and subsequent contract tracing among the University of Northern Iowa’s Tier I personnel, allowing second-seeded Drake to advance to the semifinals without a contest.

Drake (24-3) will face No. 3-seed Missouri State (17-6) after the Bears defeated Valparaiso, 66-55, in Friday’s fourth and final game at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.

The Bulldogs, having swept Northern Iowa during their regular-season series, will face the Bears in a 3:05 p.m. game televised on CBS Sports Network.

Northern Iowa’s season ends abruptly and surprisingly in a scenario that appears to have been avoidable. The MVC’s COVID protocols for regular-season men’s basketball games were different than that of the City of St. Louis, which had jurisdiction over the MVC Tournament.

Each MVC program is required to undergo daily COVID-19 testing for the week preceding and throughout Arch Madness. Beginning Wednesday, Mercy Corporate Health has partnered with the Valley to conduct a nightly PCR test of each team’s Tier 1 personnel at Enterprise Center.

Northern Iowa’s positive result was discovered as part of Thursday evening’s testing after the Panthers’ 65-60, opening-round victory over Illinois State. For the MVC’s championship tournament, decisions relating to the safe navigation of tournament play are ultimately made by St. Louis City’s Board of Health, which includes the implementation of contact tracing guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the City of St. Louis. Utilizing the City of St. Louis guidelines, contact tracing revealed that the Panthers did not have enough available players to compete.

“UNI and other institutions ultimately relied on conference policies that have been in place all season and were thought to be applicable here at the tournament. It should be noted UNI followed those procedures during their participation in the event,” said MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin. “However, the City of St. Louis Board of Health Department COVID orders take precedence over MVC protocols, and none of our institutions were aware that this was in place. In all prior communication we had with St. Louis’ local health authorities, we had clearly indicated that the MVC adhered to CDC guidelines and NCAA Resocialization Guidelines.

“The MVC did not have the necessary conversations with local health officials to clarify that the administration of the tournament would be governed by St. Louis Health Commissioner’s COVID orders. I apologize and take full responsibility for not resolving the administration of policies that are in place during this year’s tournament.”

Elgin’s transparency after the fact did nothing to assuage the emotions for UNI head coach Ben Jacobson.

“That hurt. Added to the frustration. Added to the disappointment,” Jacobson said of the miscommunication between the Valley and its teams. “I wish I could tell you that it didn’t. That certainly made it worse. There is no other way to say it. That makes it even harder that it didn’t get taken care of on the front side.”

Drake defeated UNI by margins of 22 and 8 points in meetings one week apart in February.

“I’m frustrated and angry that our student-athletes didn’t have an opportunity to play tonight,” UNI Director of Athletics David Harris tweeted Friday night. “That opportunity was earned. The conference statement speaks in part to my frustration. I can’t put into words the depth of my disappointment for these young men. They deserved better.”

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